K443 
 
 287S59Efl?
 
 THE LIBRARY 
 
 OF 
 
 THE UNIVERSITY 
 OF CALIFORNIA 
 
 LOS ANGELES
 
 SIMON. 
 
 THE STORY OF A NEGRO SLAVE IN BRAZIL. 
 
 W. 0. VON HORN. 
 
 T RAN SLAT ED RROM THE GERMAN. 
 
 ILLUSTRATED. 
 
 ERNST KAUFMANN, 
 NEW YORK, CHICAGO, 
 
 22 & 24 N. WILLIAM ST. 107 MADISON ST.
 
 INTRODUCTORY NOTE. 
 
 The story which I am about to relate, is based upon 
 fact. The noble deed of the negro, which is recounted 
 in the course of the story, attracted attention toward 
 him to an extraordinary degree, and among all classes, 
 from the emperor down to the beggar. He then told 
 his story, which was fully published by a Rio de Janeiro 
 newspaper. Under peculiar circumstances this paper 
 came to my notice, it is true, fully three years after 
 publication, for it is dated 1853. I have followed this 
 reliable account and believe that I am doing my readers 
 a service in narrating this story.
 
 CHAPTER I. 
 
 The coasts of the continent of Africa, whose in- 
 terior is almost entirely unknown to us, which are 
 washed by the waves of the Atlantic ocean, ever since 
 the terrible traffic with human beings began, have been 
 its inexhaustible source. All the seafearing nations of 
 Europe have a share in the blame, and have assisted in 
 the commission of a crime, in which they saw nothing 
 culpable, for they denied to the unfortunate black man 
 both human dignity and human rights. They considered 
 him an article of trade, out of which commerce might 
 derive a legitimate profit, as out of any other wares. 
 It can hardly be told to what extremes of brutality and 
 cruelty men permitted themselves to go in this nefari- 
 ous business. 
 
 Only late, very late, Europeans came to a recogni- 
 tion of their duty, and the Englishmen, who themselves 
 had engaged in slave trade for a long time, began to set 
 its bounds. Their men of war cruised in African 
 waters on the lookout for slave ships, and unrelenting 
 punishment was inflicted upon every one captured. But 
 in spite of the careful watch of the British cruisers, the 
 cruel traffic with human beings was not stopped. 
 
 In the face of great danger, the enormous profit at 
 that time connected with the business, led American 
 ships, especially South American and Brazilian vessels s 
 to risk the attempt, to bring their "ebony," as they 
 called the stolen negroes, through the lines in safety. 
 There the truth of the Holy Scriptures was again illus- 
 trated, that "the love of money is the root of all evil." 
 The watch along the immense coastline could not
 
 be kept so strictly, but that small and swiftsailing ves- 
 sels, which there carried on the slave trade, could suc- 
 ceed in escaping the watchfulness of the English 
 cruisers. 
 
 The slave markets of North and South America, 
 and particularly of Cuba, showed how often this was the 
 case. How the animosity of the negro tribes, one 
 against the other, aided slave traders, will be shown in 
 the course of this true and vivid narrative. 
 
 The particular part of the African coast where the 
 horrible traffic with human beings was carried on, offers 
 a great many hiding places, and when these were once 
 reached, the accursed business could be carried on in 
 safety. 
 
 It was near the mouth of a small stream, which 
 poured its waters into the mighty ocean (so the negro 
 Simon relates), that a Brazilian slave ship, well-known 
 to the negro chiefs, was accustomed to carry on its 
 business for many years. 
 
 This place could not have been better chosen, for 
 the coast regions were thickly populated. The natives 
 were engaged in a ceaseless war of extermination 
 among themselves, and sold their prisoners, whom their 
 fore-fathers had been accustomed to kill, for what ap- 
 peared to be a great profit in their eyes. But the loca- 
 tion was most favorable in other respects also. In front 
 of the mouth of the little coast stream, there lay quite 
 a large, long, and thickly wooded island. Mango trees 
 with dense, intertwining branches lined the shore and 
 afforded an excellent protection not only against the 
 fury of the storms, but also from the eyes of those men, 
 who perhaps were sailing past out on the ocean. 
 
 The island, seen from the ocean, presented the 
 appearance of an unbroken, wooded coastline, and un- 
 less the place had been examined with the care, slyness, 
 and daring of the slavers, there would not even have
 
 been discovered the deep channels at the upper and 
 lower ends of the island, which afforded an entrance 
 into the extensive bay lying between the island and the 
 mainland. Thus, far and near, there was not to be found 
 a more safe and secluded spot than this one, where the 
 Santa Margarita, a ship from Santa Catharina in Bra- 
 zil, for many years had carried on the slave trade with 
 the greatest success, without having been even once 
 molested by one of the English cruisers. It is true, 
 the captain and owner of the vessel, Don Manuel Cor- 
 dela was his name, did not conceal from himself the 
 fact, that the business Vas getting more difficult, and 
 that the enlarged number of English men-of-war was 
 increasing the danger. But the immense profit -from 
 the business was too tempting. Wretched, glittering 
 baubles, poorly made fire arms, hatchets and axes, kegs 
 of brandy, and gaudy cotton cloth, were exchanged for 
 strong negroes, whose price in ringing gold, was high 
 and continually increasing in the Brazilian slave mar- 
 kets. And so, trusting to his old luck, he daired again 
 and again, to seek out his well-known hiding place, 
 where his wealth had found its beginning and food for 
 steady increase. 
 
 One day the Santa Margarita, under a light sea 
 breeze, again gracefully wound her way through the 
 channel at the time of high tide, and cast her anchor in 
 the bay, where she had so often lain in safety. The 
 vessel was in excellent condition and was a swift sailer. 
 
 The slave trader, who knows the great dangers 
 connected with his infamous business, observes every 
 precaution, he is well versed in all tricks and games, in 
 short he is a master of deception. A conscience which 
 will permit a man to deal as carelessly with the life and 
 liberty of a fellow being, as if he were no more than a 
 bale of merchandise, will not shrink from any trick 
 or foul practice, no matter how vile it may be, or how
 
 6 
 
 much it may he despised by a good Christian. When 
 a man, led on by his insatiable greed, has once sunk so 
 low, he easily silences his conscience. These are the 
 terrible phenomena of human depravity, which we meet 
 with in this business. They fill our souls with horror 
 and strongly remind us of the words of the poet : 
 
 "Vice is a monster of so frightful mien, 
 As, to be hated, needs but to be seen. 
 Yet seen too oft, familiar with her face, 
 We first endure, then pity, then embrace." 
 
 Captain Cordela was a genuine, wily slave trader, 
 who had carried on his business for a great many years 
 and shrank from no vile trick. He was experienced in 
 all branches of the trade, as he used to say. He bound 
 his crew to himself by the payment of high wages, and 
 had with him only tried and trusted men. One new hand 
 was an exception, but he gave himself no concern about 
 him, and moreover, this man had proven himself a 
 veritable treasure on this trip, by his extraordinary sea- 
 manship. 
 
 The ship was safely brought into the bay by its 
 pilot, and proudly she lay at anchor. This work which 
 is usually accompanied by a great deal of noise at the 
 docks and in harbors, was performed most quietly. 
 Only the water fowl, which covered the calm surface 
 of the bay in great flocks, attracted by the fish which 
 swarmed in its waters, and the crocodiles which were 
 very numerous, were frightened out of their rest. The 
 latter, with dreadful snapping of their jaws, rushed into 
 the depths, but their curiosity soon brought them to 
 the surface again, where their heads became visible. 
 The sailors would gladly have put a load of shot into 
 them, but precaution demanded that every sign of the 
 presence of the vessel should be most carefully avoided. 
 
 In the little bay silence reigned supreme, broken
 
 only by the chatter of quarreling monkeys, the screams 
 of the swarms of parrots and cockatoos, which flew 
 from the island to the main land and back again, the 
 cawing of the water fowl, and now and then by the 
 deep, terrible roar of some beast of prey. 
 
 Human dwellings were nowhere visible. Every- 
 where along the edge of the water, there appeared the 
 dense tangle of the mango trees, but above them the 
 crowns of mighty baobabs and bananas, the tops of 
 palms and bamboos of enormous growth, became 
 visible. v 
 
 There was plenty of excellent water in the little 
 coast stream, and a superfluity of delicious fruits, while 
 game abounded, and a stay in this place would have 
 been most desirable had not other conditions made it 
 dangerous. In the waters appeared the insatiable cro- 
 codile, and even the greedy shark did not despise com- 
 ing into the bay with its abundance of fish, to satisfy 
 his hunger. Venomous snakes crept through the high 
 grass, and when evening came, poisonous mists rose 
 from the forests and swamps, which drove men into 
 the close body of the vessel, if they would not breathe 
 them and expose themselves to the danger of deadly 
 fevers. 
 
 This time also evening fell soon after the vessel 
 had entered the bay. Captain Cordela's orders hasten- 
 ed the work of the crew, and when at length the hot 
 African sun sank to rest, and like a delicate veil the 
 mists began to rise, the black body of the vessel lay 
 upon the quiet surface of the bay as if there were no 
 life in her. But all who were aboard, whether still at 
 work, or resting in their hammocks after the weary toil 
 of the day, had the feeling of perfect security. 
 
 But without there began the shrieking, roaring, 
 and grunting of creatures, as one hears it in southern 
 climes. The water fowl with hoarse cries sought their
 
 8 
 
 roosting place. The parrots and cockatoos quarreled 
 among themselves with earsplitting shrieks, for the 
 choice places ; horrible bats of an enormous size, flew 
 about in search of prey ; owls gave forth their melan- 
 choly hoot ; numberless monkeys raved, and screamed, 
 and chased each other through the trees ; all around the 
 snarl and bark of jackals and hyenas was heard, and 
 above all there rose the terrifying roar of the monarchs 
 of the forests, of the mighty African lion and the hungry 
 tiger, so that one chill after another ran over the men 
 in their wooden house upon the water, even though 
 they knew themselves to be secure from all that, which 
 out there threatened bloody destruction. 
 
 The battle of the creatures of the wild, this weird 
 concert of so many disagreeable voices, at last also 
 ceased, and then there was only heard the roar of the 
 breakers upon the reef, which stretched along the 
 island on the ocean side, and the sighing of the wind 
 as it passed through the brushes of the lofty palms. 
 
 With the dawn of the day the same noise began 
 anew, only much greater, even though the mighty 
 voices of the wild beasts of prey were silent, as they 
 sought the deeper shadows of the jungle and the thick- 
 ets, to rest after their nocturnal excursions. The water 
 fowl left their sleeping places with loud screaming, and 
 sought the open sea. Swarms of land birds flew about 
 in search of food, and the crocodiles disported them- 
 selves in the waters of the bay, whose wealth of fish 
 afforded them plentiful nourishment. 
 
 And now signs of life began to show themselves 
 aboard the ship also. The voice of the captain was 
 heard issuing commands, and the crew appeared busily 
 engaged. Several men, armed to the teeth, entered a 
 rowboat, which brought them to the shore of the main- 
 land, where they soon disappeared in the deep shadow 
 of the forest. These were the messengers of the cap-
 
 9 
 
 tain to his friendly chiefs, trusted men and bold, who 
 were well acquainted with the country from former ex- 
 peditions, and shrank from no threatening danger. 
 
 After the boat had returned to the vessel, the ac- 
 tivity of the men became livelier. The jolly boat was 
 lowered into the water and empty casks were placed in 
 it. Then they steered towards the stream, and there, 
 where the influence of the salt water was no longer felt, 
 they filled them with fresh water. Others landed on 
 the green shore of the island. They cleared away the 
 underbrush and leveled off quite a large space. Then 
 they erected their tent& in order to enjoy the cool in 
 the shade of the lofty trees. The actions of two classes 
 of animals were very interesting, while this was going 
 on. The crocodiles stared at the working men with a 
 stupid look, so that it seemed as if they were more eager 
 to devour them, than to watch their work. But the 
 monkeys spryly clambered up into the highest tree- 
 tops and then bent far forward in order to watch the 
 men with most peculiar grimaces, while the feathered 
 denizens of the forest flew away into the impenetrable 
 depths of the woods, where innumerable vines inter- 
 twining, seemed to bind all into one green mass. The 
 captain then came ashore and reclined under the tent, 
 while the cook, having quickly built a stove out of 
 stones and sod, busied himself about preparing a meal 
 for the hungry laborers. Those of the crew, who were 
 known to be good marksman, were sent away to shoot 
 antelopes, of which there were a great number in that 
 section, as well as numerous swiftfooted gazelles. And 
 so the crew completed their temporary camp, which 
 was to be the place of rest and refreshment for all, and 
 the captain impatiently awaited the return of the mes- 
 sengers he had sent out, who were to bring him the 
 anxiously expected news of the slave purchase. 
 
 Several days passed by in quiet, until one afternoon
 
 10 
 
 human figures appeared upon the shore of the main- 
 land, where the messengers of the captain had penetrat- 
 ed into the thick of the forest. A shot gave the signal. 
 A boat quickly put off and soon brought over the cap- 
 tain's messengers and two negroes, who were sent by 
 the chief of the tribe to make the bargain. 
 
 The captain greeted the negroes like old acquaint- 
 ances, and yet with a certain degree of formality. Then 
 they were entertained, rum playing the most important 
 roll. They greedily partook of it. 
 
 After breakfast the captain ordered those articles 
 to be brought out of the vessel's hold, which he desired 
 to exchange for slaves. The eyes of the negroes glit- 
 tered as they longingly surveyed these treasures. And 
 yet most of it was worthless trash. Then there came 
 some small mirrors, imitation coral strings, bracelets 
 made of shining, but worthless metal, in which false 
 and utterly worthless stones were sparkling, ear rings 
 and other valueless ornaments. 
 
 Further articles of trade were hatchets, axes, guns, 
 powder, lead, copper pans and kettles, and a great num- 
 ber of articles of necessity and of dress, as used by the 
 negroes, all of them of small value in themselves, but 
 appearing most attractive to the negroes. With special 
 satisfaction the representatives of the chief regarded 
 the numerous little casks of whose contents they had 
 just enjoyed a sample. The list of these articles here 
 given, will suffice to give an idea of the immense profits 
 derived from the slave trade. Under the most unfair 
 conditions the negro slaves were purchased and sold 
 again in the slavemarkets for an enormous price. 
 
 The captain had sharply observed his guests, in 
 order to learn what impression his wares had made 
 upon them, and came to the conclusion, that they were 
 highly satisfied. And now he dealt presents out to them
 
 11 
 
 with a liberal hand, by which they were made unspeak- 
 ably happy. 
 
 Then the pipes were brought and rum, and the 
 trading began. The negroes were somewhat familiar 
 with the Portuguese language. 
 
 The captain said : "You have seen my goods, what 
 have you to offer?" 
 
 "Eboes, as many you want, and can accomodate : 
 men, youths, women, girls, and children. They are a 
 fine tribe, these Eboes," they continued, "strong, tall, 
 active, and easily controlled. You will do a fine business 
 with them." 
 
 "I will come and see," answered the captain, "but 
 I reserve to myself the privilege of selection. They 
 must be perfect. No man can be over thirty years, and 
 no female have passed the twentieth year." 
 
 The agents grinned so that their white teeth gleam- 
 ed from behind their thick lips, and nodded their wooly 
 heads. 
 
 "You will be satisfied," they said, "and you know 
 that we never bring an article discreditable to us. We 
 know our stock well. But what do you offer a piece, 
 according to age and condition?" 
 
 The captain mused as if, on account of the high 
 value of his wares, he had to carefully consider. Then 
 he fixed the purchase price with such a firm and de- 
 termined voice, that the very tone and accent showed 
 plainly, that further bartering would be useless. But 
 the negroes seemed to be entirely satisfied, and merely 
 raised the question how they were to convey to their 
 lord and master some idea of the captain's wares. This 
 was the somewhat veiled demand for presents for their 
 chief. 
 
 The captain was well acquainted with their cus- 
 toms, and led them into the second tent where his gifts 
 were spread out in the most attractive manner. Even
 
 though these consisted of the same kind of things, 
 which he had already given to the agents, yet the cap- 
 tain, well calculating his interest, had selected the most 
 glittering objects. 
 
 "You will do yourself honor," said the negroes. 
 "Our chief will recognize his old business friend, who 
 lias a rich and liberal hand." 
 
 "I expect so," the captain briefly replied. "When 
 will the cargo be ready?" he then asked. 
 
 The negroes said : "One week from to-day the 
 Eboes will celebrate a great festival of sacrifice. Be- 
 cause we have been quiet, they do not anticipate an at- 
 tack from us, whom they have done much injury. But 
 when they are weary from dancing, and drunk with 
 palm wine, and sink down tired and senseless, then we 
 shall fall upon them, and they shall feel our revenge. 
 The place of sacrifice is two days march from here." 
 
 The captain heard them with satisfaction and once 
 more called their attention to the fact that he was able 
 to accomodate one hundred slaves, and then dismissed 
 them. The boat brought them to the landing place. 
 Once more they turned and waved their handkerchiefs, 
 and then entered the forest and disappeared from view. 
 In the meantime the ship had to replenish its store of 
 meat, the water casks had to be refilled, and there was 
 plenty of work to be done. Thus the week rapidly pas- 
 sed, which the negroes had mentioned till the time of 
 the festival of the Eboes. 
 
 The captain knew this tribe. They lived near the 
 source of the stream, which emptied into the bay in 
 which the vessel lay at anchor. They were a fine, 
 strong race of men. They could well be called more 
 tractable than other negro tribes, whose members, 
 when in captivity, would sometimes starve themselves 
 to death, or in wild raving leap into the sea, or would 
 end their lives in some other manner. After his last
 
 13 
 
 trip he had sold some of these Eboes at Pernambuco 
 for a large sum. And so. he was well pleased and looked 
 forward with satisfaction to the time when his mer- 
 chandise should arrive, showing how his accursed bus- 
 iness had smothered all human feeling, and emptied his 
 heart of every trace of mercy. 
 
 CHAPTER II. 
 
 V 
 
 Far into the interior from where the slave ship lay 
 at anchor, the dense forest stretched away, lianes and 
 other vines intertwining between the trees, until it be- 
 came almost impenetrable. Amid gigantic trees like 
 the baobab, banana, every specie of palm, fig, and other 
 trees bearing edible, refreshing fruits, were found the 
 mimosa and bamboo of enormous growth. The eye 
 was attracted as much by the beauty of the flowers and 
 fruits, as by the gorgeously colored plumage of the 
 birds, which were seen swinging among the branches, 
 while numberless squirrels and monkeys ran about 
 everywhere. 
 
 The Eboes, a tribe of negroes, inhabited these 
 forests. Partly they dwelt in kraals, and partly in 
 isolated huts, scattered here and there. Their huts 
 were very simple structures of bamboo staves, and 
 covered with the large leaves of the plantain. Nature's 
 rich store provided them abundantly with the fruits of 
 many trees, bananas, figs and cocoanuts. The fruit of 
 the plantain and the cabbage palm also supplied their 
 wants. Besides they were passionately fond of the 
 chase, and game was plentiful. For these reasons they 
 engaged in agriculture to a very limited extent, raising 
 only a little rice and cotton. Frequent wars with a 
 restless neighboring tribe, had much reduced their
 
 14 
 
 number. A treaty of peace, which they had made, 
 seemed temporarily to have put an end to this un- 
 fortunate strife, and the Eboes were living in perfect 
 security. But it was a most deceptive peace, and they 
 had no suspicion, that this people which they had over- 
 come in battle, harbored an implacable hatred in their 
 hearts, and were plotting treachery to work their des- 
 truction. 
 
 Not very far from the source of the stream, whose 
 short course came to an end in the bay where the slave 
 ship was anchored, there lay a lonely hut under the 
 widespreading branches of a mighty baobab tree. Like 
 all the huts of the Eboe negroes, it was built of bamboo 
 staves closely bound together, and covered with plan- 
 tain leaves. The whole appearance of the hut indicated 
 that it was to serve rather as a secure sleeping place 
 than as a residence. Where the hand of the Almighty 
 has formed the arching roof of leaves in the dense tropi- 
 cal forest, man stands in no need of any special cover- 
 ing. Besides, the heat would prove insufferable in a 
 small inclosure. Only the poisonous vapors of the 
 night, and the wild beasts, which prowl about in search 
 of prey, make it necessary to retire to a place of safety 
 when darkness falls. The floor of the hut was thickly 
 covered with matting. Beside the hut, under a simple 
 continuation of the roof, there was found a rude stove, 
 built of stones, on which the meals were prepared, and 
 the only kitchen utensil, a copper pan, hung on a peg 
 in the side of the hut. Towards the stream one saw 
 the little rice field, and somewhat farther back, lay the 
 modest cotton plantation, while a number of coffee 
 trees had been planted a little to the side. Everywhere 
 else the trees of the primeval forest thickly grew, 
 nevertheless affording a rich supply of healthy nourish- 
 ing food. 
 
 On the one side of the hut the ground rose to a
 
 little height. A short, rich sod covered it, and on the 
 gentle slope a young negro woman was seated, braiding 
 a mat from the fibres of the palm tree. At her side 
 played a little woolly-headed boy, upon whom the eyes 
 of the mother rested with an expression of deepest ai- 
 fection. He might have been about eight or nine years 
 old. The little fellow was amusing himself with a cocoa- 
 nut, whose outer covering had been removed, and 
 which he rolled down the incline. While these two 
 were thus engaged, the one in work, the other in play, 
 unnoticed by either of them, a negro emerged from the 
 thick forest, and with a" soft and stealthy step drew 
 near. In his hand he held a number of short spears, 
 called assagais, and over his shoulders he carried an 
 antelope, which he had killed in the hunt. 
 
 For a long time he stood and gazed upon his wife 
 and child, his deep love, his joy, and pride depicted 
 upon his countenance, when suddenly the boy uttered 
 a piercing scream and fled towards the hut. 
 
 In an instant the antelope was thrown upon the 
 grass, and with one bound the negro stood beside his 
 wife, swinging an assagai in his right hand. The poor 
 woman was so affrighted by the unexpected cry of the 
 boy, that she could hardly raise herself from her crouch- 
 ing posture. 
 
 "What is it?" cried the negro; but at the same 
 moment he discovered the object, which had so much 
 frightened the child. 
 
 One of the most venomous serpents had crawled 
 up unobserved. Hissing it had raised itself to strike at 
 the young woman, since the child, who may have ir- 
 ritated it in some way, had escaped. A cold shudder 
 passed over the negro, who knew the full extent of the 
 awful peril, but with a swift movement his assagai 
 whistled through the air, and with full force struck the 
 serpent in the head, so that in its pain it whirled itself
 
 16 
 
 around in wild but impotent rage. A second blow 
 severed the dangerous head, which the negro im- 
 mediately proceeded to crush with a stone. Then he 
 turned to his wife, who stretched out her arms towards 
 him in grateful thanks. The boy also now came run- 
 ning along, and the little group stood embracing each 
 other. 
 
 After a while the young woman recovered from 
 her fright, and then the negro brought the antelope, 
 which he had killed. With deft fingers he took off the 
 skin and drew the creature. 
 
 Soon a fire was burning beside the hut, over which 
 the young woman broiled some of the juicy meat. 
 While enjoying the meal the negro said: "Golima, we 
 now have a double reason to go to our people's festival 
 of sacrifice, which is to be held at Zurate on the mor- 
 row, for have we not visibly enjoyed the protection of 
 the gods?" 
 
 She nodded assent, and the boy clapped his hands 
 for glee. 
 
 "But we shall return home before night, shall we 
 not, Cullock?" she asked in a pleading tone. 
 
 "Why?" he asked in astonishment. 
 
 "I have a heavy feeling in my heart," replied Go- 
 lima, "as if some great misfortune were to come upon 
 us!" 
 
 "Did not my arm protect you to-day, and did not 
 the gods support me?" he asked. Then he tried in 
 every way to allay her fears, and she finally set about 
 preparing the provisions for the morrow, besides filling 
 a large gourd with palm wine, even though she heaved 
 many a sigh over her work. 
 
 Then the door of the hut closed behind them, since 
 the mists of evening already began to rise, and the ter- 
 rible roars of the creatures of the forest proclaimed the 
 falling of the night.
 
 17 
 
 Zurate was an Eboe village of considerable size. 
 The forest stretched away in its neighborhood, and here 
 a very large circular space had been cleared, where the 
 festivals in honor of the idols were wont to be held. 
 
 From early morning the swarthy natives were seen 
 streaming toward Zurate. They were of all ages, and 
 came sometimes in large crowds, and sometimes in 
 single family groups. 
 
 When the gathering had increased to a great mul- 
 titude, the priests appeared bearing the fetishes and 
 images. They were surrounded by a shouting, howling 
 crowd, while the din was increased by the horrible 
 sound of the tam-tams and shrill whistles. The mul- 
 titude joined the procession, and as soon as the clear- 
 ing was reached, the religious ceremonies began. They 
 were soon over, and yet they lasted too long for many 
 who were only eager for the wild dances, which now 
 began. Palm wine drunk to excess, and the madness 
 of the dance peculiar to the negro, which brought them 
 almost beside themselves, produced a weird and wild 
 scene. This insane indulgence in pleasure continued 
 without intermission, until the stars began to shine out 
 in the sombre heavens. Only then small groups were 
 seen seeking a secure resting place in the forest, while 
 a few individuals reeled towards Zurate in search of 
 a sleeping place. But it was midnight before silence 
 reigned in the forest, in the negro village, and the clear- 
 ing. All around the negroes were lying in a deathlike 
 sleep. 
 
 When the position of the stars indicated the hour 
 of midnight, Golima reminded her husband gently that 
 it was time to seek a distant hut in the village, where 
 a friend lived. 
 
 The boy had long ago fallen asleep, and Cullock 
 carried him. They started on their way because Go- 
 lima could not overcome the feeling that the festival
 
 grounds were to be the seme of some great disaster. 
 
 Upon the grass which had been trampled down in 
 the mad dance, lay the unconscious negroes, and not 
 one had a suspicion that beings like themselves, yet 
 worse than lions and tigers, were creeping up, with a 
 diabolical thirst for vengeance in their hearts, in order 
 to bring upon them the highest measure of wretched- 
 nes and woe, after the brief pleasure and intoxication, 
 which they had enjoyed. 
 
 For two days the negro tribe, with whose agents 
 the slave dealer Cordela had made a contract, had been 
 active. A mystery hung over their proceedings, and 
 only the leaders of the tribe knew the destination of 
 the expedition in preparation, and its object. It was 
 known that the purpose was to carry off slaves, because 
 they took with them many ropes made of the fibre of 
 the palm tree, ropes which could not be torn by the 
 strongest hand. Besides these ropes they carried only 
 clubs made of ebony, whose purpose was well under- 
 stood. All who were no longer fit to be sold as slaves, 
 as well as the children who were not yet strong enough, 
 were to be beaten to death. The utter annihilation oi 
 an unfriendly people or tribe is the object of the blood- 
 thirsty enmity of the negro, and when he begins his 
 murderous work, his bloodthirstiness is simply awful. 
 He spares neither the babe upon the breast of the 
 mother, nor the aged man already standing upon the 
 brink of the grave. 
 
 For a great many years a deeprooted animosity 
 had existed between the Zulahs and the Eboes. Bloody 
 battles had taken place, in which sometimes the Zulahs, 
 sometimes the Eboes, had come forth victorious. Now 
 the arrival of the slave dealer afforded an opportunity 
 to take advantage of the festival at Zurate, and deal a 
 blow from which the Eboes would never recover. The 
 condition of utter exhaustion and drunkeness, which
 
 19 
 
 ever succeeded these negro celebrations, was to be used 
 in order to attain the desired end, which was no other 
 than this, to sell into slavery the younger generation, 
 and to murder all the rest. This truly devilish plan, 
 which could only have originated in the soul of a savage, 
 was now nearing its accomplishment, and when at 
 length the secret was declared, and the Zulahs learned 
 that their expedition was directed against the Eboes, 
 a wild and terrible joy filled their hearts. 
 
 They set out on their expedition so quietly as to 
 keep their undertaking v a profound secret. Just as the 
 treacherous tiger circles round the hapless gazelle un- 
 til he finds the favorable opportunity and place, and 
 then suddenly pounces upon the wretched victim with 
 terrible ferocity, so they drew nigh the Eboe village, 
 and the place of the festivities, only travelling by night, 
 when no eye could distinguish the dark bodies, which 
 were creeping up to the enemy, winding their way " 
 among the thickest brush as noiselessly as beasts of 
 the forest, and as supple and smooth as eels. 
 
 As long as the far sounding beat of the tam-tams, 
 and the shrill tone of the pipes was heard, and the 
 shouts of the dancers echoed through the forest, they 
 lay silent in the high grass. They formed a great circle, 
 which completely closed about the Eboes on all sides. 
 No other precaution was necessary, for they rightly 
 calculated that the Eboes not suspecting an attack, 
 would carelessly give themselves over to the enjoyment 
 of their festival. 
 
 Golima and Cullock silently walked along towards 
 the hut. where they intended to spend the night. Cul- 
 lock was incapable of taking note of anything, for his 
 excessive indulgence in the dance and in palm wine, 
 was beginning to show its effect with irresistible 
 power. 
 
 Now Golima saw the hut where they expected to
 
 20 
 
 find their friends, but although the door was on the 
 side from which they were approaching, she could dis- 
 cover no welcoming light. Suddenly she stood still. 
 Her heart heat quickly, for it seemed to her as if she 
 had observed a suspicious movement in the high grass. 
 Indeed it seemed, now that she looked more sharply, 
 as if she could see heads lifting themselves and then 
 swiftly disappearing again. 
 
 "Away! Away!" cried Cullock. "Why do you 
 stand there? I can go no further. The sleeping boy is 
 growing too heavy for me." 
 
 "Hold !" she cried in a low tone. "We must flee ! 
 They are lying in ambush for us !" 
 
 Scarcely had she uttered the word, when a rope 
 was thrown over her, by which she was hurled to the 
 ground. At the same instant Cullock sank down with 
 a stifled groan. A blow from a club had felled him. But 
 a few moments passed, and they were bound securely 
 hand and foot. Strong arms lifted them and threw them 
 into the hut, whose inhabitants had already been treat- 
 ed in the same manner. And now they heard the terrible 
 battle cry of the Zulahs lifted on every side. It seemed 
 to move toward the village and the scene of the festival. 
 A guard was left at the door to see that none of the 
 captives escaped. 
 
 But this battle cry had only been sounded, when 
 the Eboes, who began to be aroused from their stupor, 
 had offered resistance. At first the Zulahs had stealth- 
 ily crept up, and almost without the stupified sleepers 
 noticing it, bound the feet of the younger ones. This 
 had been done with almost all of those whom they 
 found lying around in the open. Those who awoke, 
 were felled with a blow from the club, as had been done 
 with Cullock, and when they fell unconscious, their 
 hands were cruelly pressed together and tied with 
 strong ropes. But this did not succeed with all, some
 
 21 
 
 they left lying, only having bound their feet, and when 
 these awoke they untied the ropes and gave the alarm 
 in the forest and the village. All aged persons were at 
 once murdered by the Zulahs. A fight arose in the vil- 
 lage, but in view of the condition of the Eboes, the out- 
 come did not long remain doubtful. Before the morning 
 broke, there remained alive only the young and strong, 
 both among the women and the men, as many as would 
 be useful as slaves. Children between the ages of nine 
 and twelve were allowed to live, and were driven to- 
 gether in one place like^a herd of sheep. All who were 
 younger were murdered without mercy. 
 
 When at last day came, the village and the scene 
 of the festivities, which only a few hours before had re- 
 sounded with the shouts and laughter of the merry- 
 makers, presented a spectacle, which must have filled 
 every heart except that of a Zulah, with horror and af- 
 fright. Te unmerciful victors drove teir shackled vic- 
 tims over the scene of their murder and cruelty, and 
 while their hearts were being rent with grief and an- 
 guish, the Zulahs danced about them singing gleefully 
 their wild songs of victory. 
 
 The eye of the Christian turns in horror from such 
 a scene, where the savage first commits his atrocities 
 and then glories in the gratification of his inhuman re- 
 venge. But the Christian also looks upward to where 
 the God of love and mercy dwells, and from the inner- 
 most depths of his soul he prays : "O Lord, let the light 
 of Thy holy Gospel penetrate into this fearful night, to 
 drive away its shadows, that there may cease these 
 horrors, which dishonor man and are a mockery of all 
 the tender feelings, which Thou hast implanted in his 
 bosom !"
 
 22 
 
 CHAPTER III. 
 
 The night with its more than horrible occurences, 
 was now past. It had been a night in which man had 
 proven himself worse than the most bloodthirsty 
 beast of prey, which prowled through the forests. De- 
 liberately and with infinite cruelty, the happiness and 
 liberty of individuals had been destroyed, and a glimpse 
 had been afforded into the deep moral depravity of 
 ihese creatures, who also belonged to the human race. 
 The Zulah negroes were jubilant over their pro- 
 fitable, even though horrible victory, by which the tribe 
 of the Eboes had been annihilated, while their own 
 glory would be famed far and near. They drove the 
 herd of their victims toward the coast. The bonds had 
 been removed from their feet, but had been drawn all 
 the tighter around the hands and arms. Their strength, 
 their rage, their hope had been broken in the frantic 
 but fruitless efforts to break their fetters. Their feet 
 covered with burning wounds, they trudged along in 
 the submissiveness of despair. Now and then one would 
 sink down exhausted, but at once the shambock, the 
 terrible whip of rhinoceros hide, was laid upon the 
 naked body, until gathering their remaining strength, 
 they raised themselves and again followed. Women and 
 girls groaned in pain, but they were mocked and 
 abused. The stronger ones had to carry the children, 
 who had been permitted to live, and were trembling in 
 mortal fear. Whenever it happened that one of the 
 luckless captives broke down utterly, a blow upon the 
 head with the heavy ebony club ended his sufferings 
 forever. The body was left to be devoured by greedy 
 vultures, which followed the troop in large numbers,
 
 23 
 
 or together with the jackals held their disgusting feast 
 upon the scene of massacre. 
 
 We now turn again to Cullock, Golima and their 
 child. 
 
 Golima had been violently thrown to the ground 
 by the noose which almost strangled her. Then she was 
 quickly bound hand and foot. She saw at once that 
 resistance would be foolish in the face of the over- 
 whelming number of their grim enemies, and so she 
 patiently submitted to the hard lot, whose full signifi- 
 cance she well understood. But with a look of unspeak- 
 able anguish she turned her face toward Cullock and 
 her child. The child was unharmed. When the father 
 had been bound, it threw itself upon the breast of its 
 mother. Here a Zulah seized it by the hair and dragged 
 it forth, but when he had apparently satisfied himself 
 by the faint glimmer of the stars, that the strong and 
 healthy boy would prove profitable ware, he again 
 threw him back upon the matting, and crying bitterly 
 the little fellow crept over to his mother, where 
 trembling in every limb, he sought to hide himself. 
 
 When Cullock recovered his senses, he furiously 
 wrenched his fetters in a vain effort to tear them off. 
 The blows of the Zulah guard only enraged him the 
 more. Blood flowed freely from his hands and feet, but 
 he did not appear to feel the pain. With kind entreaty 
 Golima besought him to control himself, and to submit 
 to the inevitable, but it took a long time for him to get 
 the mastery over his natural wildness of temper, in fact 
 this mastery was rather the result of complete exhaus- 
 tion. Then he sank into that deep brooding which is 
 peculiar to the nature of the negro, and which appears 
 to make him insensible to everything about him. 
 
 As soon as the day broke, word came from Zurate, 
 and the captives were led to the crowd of other prison- 
 ers, to begin with them the march to the sea. Besides
 
 Golima, Cullock, and the boy,, the young couple who 
 owned the hut, had been taken there. 
 
 Captain Cordela was impatiently awaiting his pro- 
 mised slaves. The ship had been fully provisioned and 
 was ready to sail. His lookouts, who had been station- 
 ed outside of the harbor, had reported that they -had 
 seen English cruisers sailing northward. A small boat 
 ventured out upon the sea, nowhere was a trace of the 
 vessels any longer to be seen. The time for getting 
 away was therefore, most opportune, especially since a 
 strong breeze promised swift sailing. 
 
 Room had been prepared in the hold for from sixty 
 to eighty slaves. The place intended for their reception 
 was close, and precaution made it necessary to keep the 
 negroes under closed hatches, so that the vessel would 
 not betray its true character of slave ship, for which the 
 English cruisers were on the lookout. Still the prison- 
 ers did not arrive. Captain Cordela grew more and 
 more impatient, for the longer he had to wait the more 
 his profits were being reduced. It is the curse of a 
 guilty conscience that it can not find rest. Now it is 
 bold and again deeply discouraged. A thousand times in 
 the space of an hour his greedy and often angrily flash- 
 ing eyes were turned toward the place, where the ne- 
 groes must emerge from the forest. At last he gave a 
 bhout for joy. They had arrived! 
 
 Quickly the boats were lowered and a large num- 
 ber of iron shakles brought out of the hold. The cap- 
 tain's curses thundered through the ship, because every- 
 thing seemed to go too slowly for him. He trembled 
 in his eagerness to look over the rows of captives, and 
 select those whom he wished to take along. 
 
 At last the boats were ready, and he was the last 
 man to enter one of them. 
 
 A great number of Zulahs had come together. 
 Many of the 'slaves had sunk down and lay upon the
 
 25 
 
 ground staring vacantly into space. They saw before 
 them the grave of their happiness, they felt that they 
 were standing upon the threshold of a misery, which 
 reaches the highest measure of terrible experience, that 
 can possibly come to man. Their hands and feet were 
 swollen and sore, and the wounds inflicted by the 
 shambock bled and burned in strong inflamation. 
 
 Completely worn out and exhausted, the un- 
 fortunate victims of the vengeance and cupidity of their 
 enemies, lay there, only half alive ; but when the whites 
 came near in their boats, the lashes of their tormentors 
 drove the poor wretches to their feet again. 
 
 With an experienced eye the captain glanced over 
 these "black wares," as unfeeling slave dealers expres- 
 sed themselves. In spite of their wretched condition, 
 he perceived that these were strong, fine men and wo- 
 men. Yet he sternly wrinkled his brow. 
 
 "They have been almost driven to death," he sharp- 
 ly addressed the leader of the Zulahs. "The wares are 
 not worth half the price we had agreed upon !" 
 
 The Zulahs made long faces. 
 
 "They will quickly recover," said the leader. "The 
 white man will not deal unfairly with us." 
 
 "Do you suppose I am going to pay as much for 
 these corpses as for good, healthy wares?" cried the 
 captain with flashing eyes; and the disappointed Zulahs 
 began to be afraid. 
 
 Cordela was a shrewd man. He saw more than a 
 hundred slaves. The lower the price paid for the in- 
 dividual, the larger the number he could buy, and this 
 was all he was thinking about. What did he care if a 
 number of them died during the voyage? He would 
 have some to spare ! 
 
 With an air of utter dissatisfaction he passed 
 through the rows of blacks. He selected carefully, 
 examining the frame and proportions of each one. He
 
 26 
 
 glanced over the crowd of children, who huddled to- 
 gether in fright. 
 
 Then he offered a much lower price than the one 
 originally agreed upon. The Zulahs fearing to lose all, 
 felt compelled to agree, and the captain began to make 
 his choice. You could read his cupidity in his glance. 
 His greedy thought was to profit as much as pos- 
 sible, and having calculated his gain by the reduction 
 of the price, he picked out one hundred slaves. The 
 sailors put handcuffs upon them, and so deeply were 
 the unfortunates overcome with despair, that they al- 
 lowed anything to be done with them. They were 
 placed in the boats and brought aboard, where they 
 were put into the hot, insufferably close pen. 
 
 The boats returned for a new load. As the boats 
 were putting off, three negroes sprang into the water. 
 The dreadful snapping of the jaws of the waiting cro- 
 codiles, the swift disappearance of the poor wretches 
 beneath the foaming surface, and the bloody tint of the 
 water, left no doubt as to the terrible death they had 
 suffered. And yet they had preferred this end to a life 
 
 of slavery. 
 
 As horrible as these occurences were, and as 
 deeply as they must have aroused the feelings of any 
 Christian, these persons, who were busy here, scarcely 
 gave them a moment's attention. The captain did not 
 lose anything by it. The loss of the three slaves had to 
 be made good by the Zulahs. Cordela selected three 
 others, and the matter was ended. How many milreis 
 (Brazilian money) he could gain, that was all he was 
 concerned about. For him and his sailors these un- 
 fortunate blacks were so much merchandise, not human 
 beings. On deck of the ship the helmsman and one of 
 the Zulahs once more counted the heads of the slaves, 
 and then, old and young, the whole hundred oi them 
 were crowded into the pen originally intended to hold
 
 27 
 
 only sixty, a veritable hell, which not even one breath 
 of fresh air was permitted to cool. 
 
 When at length all whom the captain had selected 
 were on board, the boats brought the captain and the 
 Zulah agents to the tents on the island. There the 
 articles of exchange were delivered to the chiefs, who 
 where then brought ashore where their comrades were 
 awaiting them, guarding the slaves who had been left 
 over. 
 
 Scarcely had the boats left the shore on their re- 
 turn to the ship, when a terrible shrieking and wailing 
 was heard. But it soorl ceased, and then the Zulahs 
 were seen carrying a number of corpses to the shore 
 and casting them into the sea, where greedy sharks and 
 crocodiles quickly devoured them. The Zulahs had 
 simply killed the rest of the Eboes, whom the captain 
 had left, in order not to be troubled with them upon 
 their homeward journey. 
 
 Among the sailors of Captain Cordela there was 
 only one, who was taking the trip with a slave ship 
 for the first time. His name was Antonio and he came 
 from Santa Catharina. He had lost his parents in early 
 youth, and so it happened that when he had grown up 
 he became a sailor. Up to this time however, he had 
 only sailed on coastwise vessels, from one seaport to 
 another. The life of a sailor is not calculated to parti- 
 cularly develop the nobler and better feelings in the 
 heart of man. It is a rough, and usually immoral, 
 coarse class of men, these sailors, whom only the stern 
 discipline on board can keep in bounds. What young 
 Antonio here saw and heard did not have a tendency 
 to keep degenerating influences from him, even though 
 he had a naturally good heart. And yet the grace of 
 God had kept watch over him. Though outwardly 
 rough, he had preserved a goodnatured disposition, and 
 in his large heart there dwelt a sincere sympathy with
 
 28 
 
 poor unfortunates, and moreover, he was peculiarly 
 open to good influences. He had lain sick in a hospital 
 in Santa Catharina for a long time, and thus happened 
 to be out of a situation. His strength came back slowly, 
 and thus, unable to work and earn money, he fell into 
 suffering and want. Antonio however, was reputed to 
 be an excellent sailor, and many a captain regretted 
 that he could not make use of him on account of his 
 weakened condition. 
 
 When at last his strength had returned, he found no 
 chance to enter employment. In these straitened cir- 
 cumstances he was found by Captain Cordela, who knew 
 him well and knew also what a useful hand he was. 
 
 When he told him that he was about to sail to the 
 coast of Africa with his ship, to get slaves, Antonio did 
 not wish to go at first. But the captain who knew his 
 poverty, offered him such exceptionally high wages, be- 
 cause he needed just one good man to complete his 
 crew, that he finally consented. 
 
 He entered his service most unwillingly, as he had 
 heard much about the cruelty practiced in the business. 
 But the captain denied all this positively, and so Anto- 
 nio went aboard the vessel, which immediately put 
 to sea. 
 
 Upon the voyage across Antonio had proven him- 
 self to be an excellent sailor. In several dangerous situa- 
 tions he showed himself as a most coolheaded, and 
 clearsighted person, so that he soon became the de- 
 clared favorite of the captain. On the other hand his 
 peaceable, willing, and friendly manner, won for him the 
 regard of the whole crew, a thing of rare occurence. 
 
 Even though a sailor, who has long followed the 
 business, meets with much which will dull his tender 
 feelings, yet what Antonio saw here, surpassed all he 
 had deemed it possible for man to do. One cold shudder 
 after another passed over him, and he cursed the hour
 
 29 
 
 in which he had entered the service of this monster, as 
 the captain now appeared to him. Of course, he was 
 careful not to say anything about his feelings, for this 
 would have brought him nothing good. But in his 
 heart the feeling of loathing and disgust increased dur- 
 ing the bargaining for the slaves, and their placing 
 aboard the vessel. When he thought of the pen where 
 these blacks were to be kept, it stirred his soul, and he 
 swore to relieve their condition as much as lay in his 
 power. 
 
 While he was standing on the shore, a witness to 
 all those scenes which mocked human feeling, and wait- 
 ing for his boathload, he sorrowfully looked over the 
 crowd of unfortunates, and his eye fell upon a family, 
 whose members had to be numbered with the finest 
 among all the crowd. 
 
 It was Cullock, Golima, and their child. They were 
 leaning one upon the other, and the boy, who had not 
 been bound, lay weeping upon the bosom of his dis- 
 consolate mother. Cullock stared at the ground at his 
 feet, his breast filled with nameless sorrow. 
 
 What moved Antonio, was the unspeakably deep, 
 yet silent anguish of the woman, and the wild, despair- 
 ing sorrow of the man. 
 
 Captain Cordela had selected them, and also the 
 boy.. Antonio approached them. He looked upon 
 them kindly, and without anyone noticing it, he offered 
 them his flask, and bade them drink. Both glanced up 
 at him, the woman with tears in her eyes, the man with 
 a dark look. Antonio pointed to his heart, and both 
 then drank. To the boy he offered a few dates, and 
 with a cry of delight, the little fellow seized them, and 
 eagerly devoured them. Then he eased their shackles, 
 and stroked the boy with an expression of kindness 
 beaming from his eyes. When Antonio brought them 
 to the boat, the helmsman pushed back the boy. The
 
 mother gave forth a cry of agony, while Cullock hurled 
 himself upon the helmsman with a fury,, as if he would 
 tear him to pieces. 
 
 "Keep back, you beast!" cried the helmsman, and 
 lifted the oar to deal a mighty blow. 
 
 Antonio held his arm. 
 
 The captain saw it and came running. 
 
 ''What's up here?" he cried with angry tone. 
 
 "The helmsman refused to take aboard the boy, 
 whom you had selected, he is the child of this negro 
 and naturally it made him uneasy." 
 
 % 'He shall be taken aboard!" the captain curtly 
 commanded. Antonio thereupon lifted the child into 
 the boat, and Cullock and Golima followed willingly, 
 while a grateful glance fell upon Antonio. 
 
 He also seated himself in the boat. 
 
 "Just wait, you beast !" snarled the furious helms- 
 man. "I'll remember you/' 
 
 "Juan," said Antonio, who was sitting near him, 
 "put yourself in his place. You too have a wife and 
 child. How would you have felt?" 
 
 This simple, but sincere word, brought into the 
 soul of the sailor memories, which did not fail of their 
 effect. 
 
 "You are right, Antonio," he said after a brief 
 silence. "Such a black, I suppose, is somewhat human 
 after all; and if he is not as men say, why, even the 
 beast loves its young. I'll not bear him any grudge." 
 
 "That should be the least," cried Antonio. "It 
 seems to me, that you ought to say : "I will be gentle 
 with these poor slaves who are human beings as well 
 as we." 
 
 "Oho! who says that?" asked Juan. "Do you 
 want to get into trouble with the good father Xaverus 
 of Santa Catharina? Take care! He says, that the 
 blacks were created for slavery, and that the only thing
 
 31 
 
 human about them is their appearance. And that is 
 what I also believe." 
 
 "Let us not quarrel," rejoined Antonio. "But my 
 confessor, Father Ulrico, whom you also know, tries 
 to convert the negroes. If they were not human, it 
 seems to me that he would not do this." 
 
 Juan crew serious. This was an argument which 
 went home. 
 
 "Well yes of course there seems to be a little 
 something of the human being about them ; but then " 
 
 "This ought to move us to be kind and gentle with 
 them," said Antonio. 
 
 "For all I care, very well," replied Juan. "I take 
 no pleasure in tormenting them." 
 
 "Do you know, Juan/' said Antonio after a little 
 thought, "just that couple with the child has aroused 
 my special sympathy. Won't you place them near the 
 hatch? Then we can give them a breath of fresh air 
 occasionally, or pass them in a bit of food. Won't 
 you please?" 
 
 "All right," was the answer. Just then the boat 
 came longside of the vessel. 
 
 Antonio took the boy and climbed aboard with 
 him. The parents followed willingly, and Antonio's 
 wish with respect to their place in the pen was fulfilled. 
 
 But when the negroes saw the narrow place of 
 their confinement, already overfilled, despair seized upon 
 their souls. Five of them sprang overboard into the 
 sea, where the crocodiles were waiting for them. Again 
 the dreadful snapping of their jaws was heard ; again 
 the bodies quickly disappeared beneath the surface, and 
 the foaming water became discolored, first yellow, then 
 red, and the last trace of the poor wretches was lost. 
 A shudder passed over even the roughest among the 
 crew. 
 
 The captain who was coming over in the last boat.
 
 32 
 
 cursed and raved at the carelessness of the crew, but 
 that did not change the matter any. He had to stand 
 the loss of these five, because they had been paid for. 
 
 Out of the pen issued cries pitiful to hear. The 
 captain ordered the hatches to be closed down. Then the 
 anchors were drawn up and within an hour the vessel 
 was coursing through the waves of the sea. Night came 
 just as they passed the reefs of the shore. A fresh 
 breeze blew from landward. The captain commanded 
 to set all sail, and when the ship shot through the foam- 
 ing waves swift as an arrow, he descended to his cabin 
 in the best of spirits, and sought his rest. The sufferings 
 of the blacks did not trouble him. He had made a fine 
 trade, and that gave him pleasure. Even though half 
 his load died on the voyage, the business would still be 
 profitable. And what did he care if some wretchedly 
 perished ? They were his property ! 
 
 As soon as he went below Antonio and Juan raised 
 the hatches to let a little air into the pen, where the heat 
 was stifling, and the smell dreadful. They also passed 
 a little water and food to their protegees. Then Antonio 
 rolled himself in his blanket, and lay down upon the 
 deck. He went to sleep with the consciousness of 
 having acted the part of a man and a Christian. 
 
 Juan had the watch, and stood near the mizzen 
 mast. He was to close the hatches about midnight, when 
 the captain might come on deck. This was done, and 
 their good deed was not observed.
 
 CHAPTER IV. 
 
 The stiff breeze continued all night. The sailor 
 calls a strong, steady wind, a "stiff breeze." The ship 
 made more knots an hour than any of the sailors had 
 ever seen made before. But it leaned far over under 
 the burden and pressure of the sails. 
 
 The captain did not appear upon deck until after 
 midnight. Antonio had then relieved Juan. Down in 
 the hold all had grown quiet. Sleep, the comforter of 
 the wretched, had fallen upon the eyes of the un- 
 fortunates, and where the pain in the inflamed hands 
 and feet kept sleep away, there had come the dull 
 lethargy, which succeeds the recognition of an in- 
 evitable fate, or death. 
 
 The captain strode the deck in the most cheerful 
 mood. He rubbed his hands in great satisfaction. He 
 approached Antonio. 
 
 "The cruisers have sailed toward the north, Anto- 
 nio," said he, as he familiarly slapped his favorite sailor 
 upon the shoulder. "We have an open sea, and if we 
 keep this excellent breeze, in twenty-four hours we 
 shall be safely out of their jaws." 
 
 "I hope so," replied Antonio, as he wrapped his 
 blanket closer about him, for the approaching day 
 brought with it an uncomfortable chilliness. 
 
 "Are you cold?" the captain asked laughing. 
 "Shame upon you for a sea-dog, to be so tender!" 
 
 "It is less the chill morning air that makes me 
 shudder, than the thought of those negroes, who are 
 suffering agony down there in the stifling heat. How 
 would it be, sir, if we opened the hatches a little ? None 
 of them can get out. It seems to me that it would be 
 to your advantage. The smaller the number of those 
 who perish, the greater will be your profit!" 
 
 Simon. 3
 
 34 
 
 "You have good common sense, Antonio, and I 
 am pleased that you consider my interest and do not 
 allow yourself to be moved by the foolish sympathies 
 of a land lubber. Do so !" 
 
 Quick as a flash Antonio sprang to the hatches of 
 the deck, and lifted them. The cool night air streamed 
 into the pen, where the negroes lay ; but a steam issued 
 forth, like the fumes from a chimney. 
 
 Happy over the success of his scheme, he hastened 
 back to the captain. 
 
 "If you want to be smothered, sir, then go to the 
 hatches and breathe the fumes streaming out of the 
 hold," he cried with a forced laugh. 
 
 "Pshaw!" said the captain, "to-morrow morning I 
 suppose we will have to give the sharks a breakfast. I 
 know how that is from experience. But , what's the 
 difference? We shall have enough left." 
 
 Antonio shuddered. 
 
 "Would it not be wiser," said he, "if you will allow 
 me the remark, to consider more carefully the pre- 
 servation of your slaves?" 
 
 "Any other man but you, would get a taste of the 
 cat-o'-nine-tails," laughed the captain. "You are a good 
 fellow, and I am in fine spirits. You are right. What 
 would you suggest?" 
 
 "Fresh air, sir, for that every living thing needs in 
 order to sustain life, water and food " 
 
 "Perhaps at the cabin table," sneered the captain. 
 
 "Not that, but enough," said Antonio, "and 
 
 "And horse hair mattresses," the captain mocked. 
 
 "Nor that/' said the sailor, deeply moved, and held 
 his peace. 
 
 "Why are you silent, you softhearted fool, you old 
 woman? Why do you stop with your: 'And'?" 
 
 "You are angry on account of my boldness, sir," 
 said Antonio; "and I have no desire to make the ac-
 
 35 
 
 quaintance of your cat-o'-nine-tails. The day breaks, 
 sir, what flag is to be hoisted?" 
 
 "You are sly, Antonio," laughed the captain, "but 
 you are mistaken; I am not angry with you and wish 
 to know what was to follow your 'And'." 
 
 "You command and I obey, counting on your good- 
 ness. To-morrow morning I would bring one after 
 the other up on deck, providing of course, that all was 
 safe, and would wash their festering wounds with 
 brandy. They will then heal, and your "ebony" will 
 be fresh." 
 
 "You are a good counsellor and ought to become 
 a judge in Santa Catharina or Rio/' cried the Captain. 
 "It shall be done." 
 
 "It will cost you little and profit you much/' con- 
 tinued Antonio. "What flag do, you order? The sun 
 is rising above the rim of the sea, and there is no sail 
 in sight." With this he glanced quickly around the 
 horizon. 
 
 The captain lifted his spy glass, which he held in 
 his hand, and carefully scanned the sea in every direc- 
 tion, and then said: "No, there is none in sight, the 
 saint be praised!" 
 
 "Yo-u see/' he continued, "a slaver must use 
 trickery and deception, or things will go wrong. Hoist 
 the stars and stripes of the United States. This will 
 inspire wholesome respect, should any redcoat (as 
 sailors call Englishmen), look upon us too affection- 
 ately." 
 
 "All hands on deck !" he cried. 
 
 As by magic the crew appeared on deck and fell 
 into line, although some of them still looked pretty 
 sleepy. 
 
 "Boys," said the captain, "the horizon is clear; it 
 is. day, and the shores of Africa have sunk in the sea. 
 This is an elegant breeze. Why, I couldn't make it better
 
 36 
 
 myself. We are making as many knots in one hour, as 
 we usually make in three. Double portions of rum !" 
 
 "Hurrah !" yelled the sailors. 
 
 "Hush ! The sea has ears !" continued the captain. 
 "We must not grow careless. Bring the cannon on deck 
 and load them!" 
 
 As when a gust of wind sweeps among the chaff, 
 the sailors scattered in every direction, for each one had 
 his particular duty. 
 
 In less than quarter of an hour the cannon were 
 in place and loaded. 
 
 "There," said the captain with a satisfied air, "now 
 mask them with sail as good as you can." 
 
 This was done with swiftness and yet with great 
 care. 
 
 "And now to breakfast, boys!" 
 
 This was a welcome command, especially since 
 there were to be double portions of rum. 
 
 After breakfast the captain commanded to bring 
 up the negroes one by one, and to wash out their 
 wounds with salt-water and brandy. This operation was 
 indeed painful, but healing. But what brought an ex- 
 pression of dissatisfaction upon the face of the cap- 
 tain, was the fact, that seven children and three negro 
 women had died during the night. 
 
 The corpses were thrown overboard without cere- 
 mony, and the sharks, which followed the ship in 
 schools, immediately devoured them. 
 
 "Pshaw r cried the captain. "It is a loss, of course. 
 But what's the difference! I do not care if a dozen 
 more die." 
 
 "O, you demon in human form !" muttered Antonio 
 to himself, as he allowed another corpse to glide into 
 
 the sea. 
 
 The negroes received their breakfast, and the 
 hatches remained open. Antonio's advice had borne
 
 37 
 
 fruit, because the captain's common sense showed the 
 advantage of such a course. 
 
 The condition of the unfortunates was terrible. 
 Their wounds were festering and many of them had 
 their backs lacerated by the blows of the shambock. 
 Many of the wounds were strongly inflamed. There 
 was no surgeon on board, and the only one who 
 went to any trouble to alleviate the sufferings of the 
 poor wretches, was Antonio. The captain did not in- 
 terfere with him, because he saw that what he was do- 
 ing, was to his profit. He took particular interest in 
 Cullock and the members of his family, and did every- 
 thing in his power to make their unhappy condition 
 bearable. And the boy, he seemed to love before all, 
 and whatever he could find to give him pleasure, he 
 brought him in secret. 
 
 The course of the vessel remained the same, the 
 strong breeze continuing steady, swelling the sails, 
 without however, doing harm. In spite of Antonio's 
 care, whom the sailors nicknamed the "father of the 
 niggers," several negroes died every day, because the 
 heat in the pen was insufferable, and the wounds also 
 healed but slowly and easily became mortified, pro- 
 ducing death. 
 
 Thus the ship sailed along until it arrived off Cape- 
 town. All danger was not yet past, but it was much less 
 to be expected that they would be overtaken by a 
 cruiser. 
 
 This part of the sea is much feared by seafaring men. 
 Calms, often continuing for many days, in turn are fol- 
 lowed by terrific storms, from whose violence there is 
 scarcely any escape. 
 
 Here the vessel struck a calm, accompanied by an 
 intense heat. For three days the ship did not seem to 
 advance a foot. It was a matter of congratulation that 
 it was not intercepted. It escaped this danger 'perhaps,
 
 because its build was not like that of the common slave 
 ships, but that it rose above the waves in slender and 
 graceful outline. No one suspected it. It is true, that 
 it was a lucky thing for the captain, that all sailing ves- 
 sels were suffering under the same misfortune, and 
 pursuit by cruisers was not much to be feared. But 
 what filled the soul of the slaver with care, was the 
 thought of the steamers, which wealthy England was 
 using even at that early date. If one of these came 
 into the neighborhood of the ship, discovery was cer- 
 tain and all would be lost. 
 
 To this constant fear there came another matter 
 of serious concern. A contagious disease had broken out 
 among the negroes, who were packed so closely in the 
 pen. Impure air, little water, and poor food, sorrow 
 and care, were the causes, and it seized upon its vic- 
 tims with deadly power, and swept them away in the 
 course of a few days. The captain did not dare to leave 
 them up on deck, because he feared discovery, and 
 down in the narrow pen death seemed certain to many. 
 
 This situation drove the captain beside himself. His 
 humors were unbearable, and his irritability increased 
 day by day. The most trivial mistake on the part of 
 the sailors brought the most severe punishment. 
 
 "If a steamer comes along, I am lost ; but I would 
 rather bury myself and my ship in the depths of the sea, 
 than permit myself to be taken!" he often exclaimed, 
 as he ran up and down the deck like a madman. Al- 
 though a steamer was rare in those waters at that time, 
 yet they appeared as the thing most to be dreaded by 
 his guilty conscience. 
 
 The blacks suffered intensely under the burning 
 rays of the sun, and even the air that entered into their 
 pen seemed like the air from the mouth of a furnace. 
 The disease threatened to become a pest. Several 
 slaves died dailv and even one of the sailors succumbed.
 
 39 
 
 The wretched victims had grown so dulled in their 
 suffering, that they saw the bodies of their companions 
 in misery dragged by them with indifference, and even 
 the falling of the corpse into the waters of the sea, no 
 longer moved them. They bore their sufferings and per- 
 haps considered those happy, who were relieved by 
 death. 
 
 Only Golima, Cullock and the child had been 
 spared until now, since Antonio tried to relieve their 
 condition in every way. Their bed was near the hatch, 
 where they had better air, and the sufferings from thirst 
 Antonio would ease, though he had to deny himself the 
 refreshment. In spite of all he found Cullock one 
 morning attacked by the disease, and Golima in despair 
 over his condition. 
 
 Antonio saw that the violence with which the dis- 
 ease had attacked him, would hasten the end. And he 
 was not mistaken. 
 
 On the morning on the following day already, 
 he was a corpse. When they came to get him, 
 in order to cast his lifeless body into the sea, 
 Golima could not control herself. She begged the 
 sailors piteously to cast her and the child into the sea 
 with Cullock. Even the roughest of the sailors, al- 
 though they did not understand the language of the in- 
 consolable woman, and although their hearts had been 
 hardened against all tender feeling by their terrible 
 traffic with human beings, were moved by the sight of 
 her sorrow, and they knew what the unfortunate wo- 
 man meant by her soft plaintive words. They showed 
 their sympathy with her and her child, but they could 
 not console her. She neither ate nor drank, and the sor- 
 row of her soul grew more intense day by day. 
 
 Just at this time a furious storm broke over the 
 vessel, which threatened death and destruction. It con- 
 tinued for two days and two nights. The sailors barely
 
 40 
 
 found the time to remove the dead from the pen, and 
 to give nourishment to the living. During those two 
 days it was indeed for them a battle between life and 
 death. Then it cleared and a favorable wind arose, 
 driving the ship swiftly before it, and the sailors busied 
 themselves in repairing the damage resulting from the 
 storm. 
 
 But during these days death had held a fearful 
 harvest among the negroes. Only thirty of them were 
 left. Golima also had fallen a prey to the pest. Unless 
 all were to perish miserably in the infected hold, quick 
 and energetic methods would have to be resorted to. 
 The captain had grown somewhat milder since he was 
 beyond the danger of being seized. Antonio therefore 
 ventured to approach him on the subject of the care of 
 the slaves, and to his surprise the captain agreed with 
 him. As the weather was beautiful, a large tent, cover- 
 ed with sailcloth, was erected on deck. Mats were laid 
 under it, and now there crept out of the pen figures, 
 whose appearance made Antonio's heart bleed. They 
 were reeling skeletons, half corpses. The boy also, who 
 was now without father or mother, came out. He fell 
 around Antonio's neck, who could not restrain his tears. 
 Just so forsaken he had been as a child, and tender 
 mercy had taken care of him. He pressed the child to 
 his bosom, and as he lifted his eyes to heaven, he 
 vowed that he would be a father to the boy and thus 
 carry off a debt which he owed his Father in heaven, 
 for all the grace shown him during his tender years. 
 
 The changed conditions had a wonderful effect 
 upon the negroes. The contagious disease disappeared. 
 Those who were sick recovered, and soon the captain 
 gratefully pressed Antonio's hand for his good and 
 timely advice. 
 
 The captain was so friendly toward him, and his 
 influence was so great, that he approved of everything
 
 41 
 
 which he did. The negro boy was permitted to go 
 about with Antonio in perfect freedom, and in truth, 
 the little fellow would not leave him for a minute. They 
 had to hold him back by force, when Antonio had to go 
 aloft into the rigging, and then he cried until his friend 
 returned. This affection on the part of the boy drew 
 Antonio to him closer day by day. The anguish of the 
 child and his sorrow over the death of his parents, had 
 been violent, but soon passed over. He clung to An- 
 tonio, and he rewarded him with a love capable of any 
 sacrifice. Antonio also had no one to love him, and he 
 had never experienced so much affection in all his life. 
 And so the child took possession of his whole heart. 
 Every spare minute he had was devoted to the child. 
 He played with him, and gave himself great pains to 
 teach him the Portuguese language, and the boy being 
 exceptionally bright, he had fine success. It was the 
 sunlight of love, in which the boy wonderfully develop- 
 ed. He was so quick, so willing, and eager, and at the 
 same time so comical, that he soon became the pet of 
 the whole crew, and even of the captain. 
 
 Gradually the vessel was approaching those waters, 
 where they could hourly expect to see the palmgrown 
 coast of Brazil appear above the sea. This hope, which 
 filled the captain and the crew with new life, filled the 
 soul of Antonio with sorrow and care. As they drew 
 near to their destination, there drew near also the se- 
 paration from his young pet. He thought with horror 
 of the sale of the boy as soon as they should reach the 
 harbor of Santa Catharina. If he had possessed means, 
 he would gladly have given all to own this boy. 
 A thousand plans passed through his brain, but not 
 one offered a hope of realization. His wages, earned 
 on this unfortunate voyage; was all he had in the world, 
 and the sum was not sufficient to pay the price of the 
 child. But one day a bright thought came into his
 
 42 
 
 mind, which showed more than anything else, how 
 much he loved the boy. 
 
 He did not know what service on board a slave 
 ship meant, until he entered the employ of Captain 
 Cordela. Now he had learned to know its curse, its 
 woe, its terrors, and his whole soul shrank from making 
 another such a voyage. He often declared to his mess- 
 mates, that he would rather beg for bread in the streets 
 of his native town, and never again tread the deck of a 
 vessel, than again enter the service of a slaver. They 
 used to laugh at him and mock him, and call him a 
 sleepy head, but he took no notice of it, and stood by 
 his resolution. His views were not unknown to the 
 captain. But Antonio had proven himself to be such 
 an excellent seaman, that the captain, instead of being 
 angry with him, sought to bind him to his service by all 
 sorts of attentions and favors. After a severe struggle, 
 in which his love for the boy strove with his adhorrence 
 of the pictures of woe and cruelty, which he had seen, 
 Antonio formed a resolution. One evening, when the 
 cry : "Land, ahead !" was momentarily expected from 
 the lookout, he approached the captain. 
 
 "If I had it in my power to do what you can," he 
 said, "that fine boy would have to stay aboard, and I 
 would train a helmsman who would vainly seek his 
 equal. Or if you don't care for that, why I would keep 
 him as my body slave, who would have to acompany 
 me wherever I went." 
 
 "You are a fool over that boy," said the captain, 
 "I would have to wait a long time for a helmsman, 
 whom I could get much sooner, in case Juan should de- 
 cide to leave the ship and desert me, and I have no need 
 of a body slave as long as I am able to help myself. 
 Such a thing is an unnecessary ballast on a slaver, and 
 the selection of a negro for such a position would give 
 me the testimony that I am an idiot. Don't you under-
 
 43 
 
 stand that? And besides, have you considered the 
 amounts I have lost on this unlucky trip? No, he shall 
 
 be sold." 
 
 Antonio's head fell, and his heart almost stopped 
 beating. At length he said: 
 
 "Captain, you seem to be satisfied with me?" 
 
 "Yes," replied the captain, "you are a first class, 
 brave seaman, faithful, dilligent, and obedient. And 
 therefore I am sorry that you have such a soft nature 
 and are unwilling again to serve on board a slave ship." 
 
 "Thanks, sir, for your opinion! But I was not 
 created for service on board a slaver/' 
 
 "You are a fool, I say," replied the captain. "No 
 man has proven himself more useful than you." 
 
 "Well," rejoined Antonio, "be that as it may. I 
 have different views than you have. The misery of 
 those poor wretches stirs my very soul." 
 
 "Pshaw!" cried the captain. "Has anyone been 
 talking nonsense to you? I know that there are some 
 fools who think these niggers are human beings." 
 
 "What else should they be?" asked Antonio deep- 
 ly shocked. 
 
 "They are half human, a higher kind of ape, able 
 to talk and work/' cried the captain. 
 
 "There, you may now see that you can have no 
 use for me," said Antonio. "To me they are human 
 beings as well as we. And you can not get this con- 
 viction out of my head." 
 
 "And so you really intend to leave me ?" 
 
 "Yes, sir." 
 
 "Think a moment, Antonio. I will give you double 
 your present wages. Do you hear? Double wages, if 
 you will stay with me. Not every voyage is like this 
 one. I have firmly resolved never again to take aboard 
 so heavy a load. I have at last seen where my ad- 
 vantage lies."
 
 44 
 
 "That may be," said Antonio. "There is but one 
 condition under which I could stay with you, and stay 
 as long as I live." 
 
 The captain started. "What condition is that?" 
 he cried. 
 
 "If the boy were also always kept on board and 
 near me," replied Antonio. 
 
 "Didn't I say it?" cried the captain, "the fellow is 
 an incorrigible fool." 
 
 "I only ask the same wages I am now receiving," 
 continued Antonio. 
 
 "I am sorry that I cannot grant your request, An- 
 tonio," said the captain. "In the first place it would be 
 a most unwise thing to keep a negro on board a slave 
 ship, who would be liable at any time to cut the bonds 
 of his countrymen, and raise a mutiny. It would not be 
 the first time such a thing has happened. In the second 
 place, the boy is as good as sold. Do you know the 
 rich old Don Xaverio Valdes, who lives in the beautiful 
 house on the Alameda in Santa Catharina?" 
 
 "No, sir." 
 
 "Well, he is perhaps the richest man in the city. 
 He said to me before I started on my voyage : 'Captain 
 Cordela, if you ever come across a negro slave whom 
 you consider particularly talented, save him for me. I 
 will pay anything you ask for him.' Don't you see that 
 the rich old fellow will have to pay me enough for the 
 boy to make good the loss of three negroes?" 
 
 "I understand/' said Antonio, and withdrew to his 
 berth. His last hope had disappeared. He kissed the 
 sleeping boy, and then gave way to his sorrow until 
 sleep overcame him. 
 
 Since then a mountain seemed to lay upon the soul 
 of the poor fellow, which not even the most tender 
 caresses of the boy could remove, in fact the burden 
 seemed but to be increased thereby. He would sit for
 
 45 
 
 hours staring into the sea, and when he gazed upon the 
 boy his eyes grew moist. He did not confide his feel- 
 ings to any one. But what troubled him was the thought 
 of leaving the boy, the first being which had ever en- 
 tertained an affection for him, and become closely as- 
 sociated with him. 
 
 CHAPTER V. 
 
 The cry of the lookout in the shrouds: "Land! 
 Land!" caused a shout of joy to be raised by the 
 sailors. Only Antonio gazed sorrowfully into the dis- 
 tance, where the coast of Brazil soon appeared like a 
 low hazy strip along the horizon. They had come at 
 last to the end of their toils and trials, Antonio to the 
 end of his happiness. This was the great difference 
 which lay at the bottom of their varied display of 
 feeling. 
 
 Antonio sat upon a coil of heavy rope, leaning 
 against the deckrail, with the boy between his knees. 
 
 "Why are the people shouting so loud?" he asked 
 in broken Portuguese. 
 
 "Do you see that narrow line along the horizon?" 
 asked Antonio. "It is the coast of their country." 
 
 "Is it not your country also?" asked the boy. 
 
 "Yes, it is mine also." 
 
 "And are you not happy?" 
 
 Antonio sighed. "They are returning to father and 
 mother, to wife and child," he replied sadly. "No one 
 awaits me. I have no one there to love me." 
 
 "But I am here !" cried the boy and threw his arms 
 about his neck.
 
 46 
 
 Tears filled Antonio's eyes, which he hid by pres- 
 sing the boy closely to his breast, and hiding his face in 
 his woolly head. 
 
 After a while he said: "And yet we two will have 
 to part." 
 
 "No, no," cried the boy. "That I will never do. 
 "And he clung closely to his friend. "It were better for 
 them to throw me into the sea, as they did my father 
 and mother. O, keep me with you! I will ever be 
 obedient, and always love you as I do now." 
 
 These words cut Antonio to the very soul. Pres- 
 sing the boy passionately to his breast, he cried: "O, 
 if only I could ! Nothing should separate us, but death." 
 
 "Why can you not ?" asked the boy in fright. 
 
 Antonio did not wish to tell the boy the terrible 
 truth, and perhaps he would not even have understood 
 him. He preferred therefore to remain silent. But the 
 child so pressed him with his questions and petitions, 
 that he was glad to be able to escape giving him an 
 answer, at least for the present, when the command of 
 the captain summoned him away. 
 
 On the following morning the coast lay before 
 them. The mountains of the interior appeared clothed 
 in a delicate bluish haze, and the shore, in some places 
 even the rocky coast, was covered with green of every 
 shade. The scene was beautiful. Swiftly they ap- 
 proached the shore, whose details the naked eye was 
 soon able to distinguish. The captain himself now took 
 the wheel, because here he was thoroughly acquainted 
 with every inch of ground. 
 
 When they came near to Santa Catharina a pilot 
 came on board, to whom the captain resigned the 
 wheel. Then the health officers of the port arrived, and 
 finding some of the negroes still sick, they left the ship 
 with orders to anchor in the outer harbor, and to hoist
 
 47 
 
 the yellow flag, since the vessel would have to be 
 quarantined from three to four weeks. 
 
 This was a bitter piece of news for the captain, 
 who knew however, that these people very much relaxed 
 their strictness under a bribe. He called them back. 
 A slave dealer, who carries on such a vile and godless 
 business, is not particular about the matter of honesty, 
 and unfortunately there are so many people who can be 
 approached with bribes, and become faithless in the dis- 
 charge of their duty. This one thing is certain before 
 God and men, that he who offers a bribe is just as much 
 to be condemned, as th^ one who receives it, and per- 
 mits himself to be turned from the discharge of his 
 duty. But one must not be surprised to find such cor- 
 ruption in a country, where men are bought and sold 
 like beasts, where slavery is permitted and legally pro- 
 tected. 
 
 When the captain returned to the vessel he smiled 
 slyly and remarked: "The yellow flag will only wave 
 two weeks from the top of the mizzen." 
 
 The yellow flag is the signal that there is contagi- 
 ous disease on board. As soon as it is hoisted, all com- 
 munication with the shore ceases, except when a boat 
 under guard, approaches to supply the ship with fresh 
 victuals. Quarantine is maintained until it is certain 
 that every trace of disease has disappeared. This care 
 that no contagious disease is introduced, is extremely 
 necessary. It is well-known that the terrible plague is 
 found in Africa as well as in Asia, also cholera, and 
 other contagious diseases. These diseases are spread 
 by persons who are afflicted with them, coming over in 
 vessels, but can also be introduced by merchandise in- 
 fected with disease germs, such as wool, cotton etc. 
 Whenever a vessel arrives from such a plague district, 
 it must lie at anchor until the doctors declare that even- 
 danger is past. Formerly the death penalty was in-
 
 flicted upon anyone who broke the quarantine, and 
 secretly landed from a vessel upon which the yellow Hag 
 had been hoisted. 
 
 There are found on every coast men, who belong 
 to a reckless and dangerous class, who break the laws 
 of God and man with utmost shamelessness, carrying 
 on unlawful trade, and differing little from common 
 thieves and murderers. These are the smugglers. As 
 necessary as the quarantine laws are, these smugglers 
 succeed in putting themselves in communication with a 
 quarantined vessel, under cover of the night. And so 
 it was here. Captain Cordela, being a most unscrupul- 
 ous person, did not hesitate to take advantage of this 
 circumstance to gain his ends. There is a connection 
 between our various doings; one depends upon the 
 other, and well has the Bible said: "He that is faithful 
 in that which is least is faithful also in much ; and he that 
 is unjust in the least is unjust also in much." It would 
 be well for us all to take this lesson to heart. Shun 
 the so-called little sins and you will not be in so much 
 danger of falling into great sins. But if any man per- 
 mits the stealing of human beings, buys and sells them 
 like cattle, to him nothing would appear sinful; he is 
 capable of doing the worst things without hesitation. 
 
 There is no question, that a quarantine is exceed- 
 ingly disagreeable to men, who have come from a long 
 journey, and are eager to see their families and friends, 
 and to escape from the tiresome and monotous life of 
 the ship. But it is a most necessary arrangement and 
 must be strictly enforced. 
 
 Thus the vessel lay at anchor, lazily rocking upon 
 the waves of the harbor of Santa Catharina, in spite of 
 bribes, even though there was not a single patient on 
 board, and only a few, who showed traces of having 
 been ill. To have the shore before them and yet not be 
 permitted to land, was most irritating for all, especially
 
 49 
 
 for the captain. But he was too shrewd not to draw 
 some business advantage even out of such a situation. 
 He proposed to have the report spread, that British 
 cruisers had seized six slave ships, and that for this 
 reason very few slaves would be brought to market. 
 But he was bringing Eboes, an excellent class of slaves. 
 The abominable falsehood he was spreading, did not 
 disturb his conscience, so long as he drove up the price 
 of his slaves. He suggested to Antonio, that he should 
 carry out this trick. 
 
 Antonio refused, even though he was most anxious 
 to get to shore for other reasons. "Let the smugglers, 
 who bring your victuals, do that," said he. 
 
 This might well be done, and the captain, who did 
 not wish to spoil his chance of retaining Antonio, said 
 no more about it, even though the refusal angered him. 
 
 "But how can I be sure that these rascals will do 
 it, even though I pay them well?" said the captain. 
 "Will you not at least do this for me? Go ashore and 
 find out whether they spread the report or not! You 
 are only to hear what people say and bring me word." 
 
 Quick as a flash, Antonio caught at the word. He 
 saw no wrong in the proposition and immediately as- 
 sented. One thought was uppermost in his mind; he 
 wished to go to Don Xaverio Valdes and see if he 
 could not obtain work with him, so as to be near the 
 boy. He set his whole hope upon this move. 
 
 Night had scarcely thrown her mantle over land 
 and sea, and all life and traffic begun to rest, ere the 
 smugglers came in their boats to supply whatever was 
 needed of fruits .and vegetables, which the fertile coasts 
 of Brazil supplied in abundance. The captain called 
 them aboard and promised them a fine sum of money if 
 they would spread the report. Without hesitation they 
 entered in upon the scheme, and after they had enjoyed 
 some of the products of Africa, which the captain still 
 
 Simon. 4
 
 50 
 
 had left, they rccntcrcd their boats and took Antonio 
 with them, who had to go ashore on other business of 
 the captain, as he declared. 
 
 Silently and with regular stroke they rowed toward 
 the shore. No one took notice of them, for the coast 
 guards are usually in league with them. After a short 
 while they landed in a little cove, where they hid their 
 boat under overhanging branches, and soon they were 
 in the city. 
 
 Antonio, who had received some money from the 
 captain, looked up a lodging house, and having found 
 what he wanted, took a good long rest, undisturbed by 
 the rocking of the ship, or the ceaseless splash of 
 waves. Most earnestly he prayed that his honest 
 purpose might succeed, and that he might not be 
 separated from his young friend. 
 
 CHAPTER VI 
 
 Up to this point I have been compelled to give my 
 readers a glimpse into a life, from which they would 
 rather have turned away, a life estranged from God and 
 everything, which is holy and true, and given over to 
 the gratification of wild and brutal passions ; a life ut- 
 terly lacking in the peace of God, because it lacked God. 
 Unfortunately we find examples of godlessness about 
 us also, which fill us with loathing and disgust, and 
 which ought to teach us to love the more that which is 
 noble and godly. If Antonio's naturally good and true 
 heart, which had been hardened by his rough surround- 
 ings, was again awakened to a sense of duty and a de- 
 sire for nobler and better things by the excess of
 
 51 
 
 wickedness, which he had seen from day to day, why 
 should we not also have a similar experience? As dur- 
 ing the dark night we yearn for the return of day, so 
 let us turn from the evil, whenever we see its repulsive 
 face, and joyfully greet virtue. 
 
 The course through which the Lord found it well 
 to lead the poor negro boy, now permits me to direct 
 you attention to another life. We shall leave the slave 
 dealer, who continued his accursed business until the 
 avenging arm of the Lord found him. Upon a voyage 
 to Africa he was overtaken by a terrible hurricane in 
 the Indian Ocean, and vthe vessel with all aboard went 
 down, so that not even a trace of any of them was ever 
 found. He did not escape the arm of Him who judges 
 aright, and the sea, upon which he had spent the greater 
 part of his godless life, became the instrument of ven- 
 geance. 
 
 In Santa Catharina the family of the Valdes had 
 enjoyed distinction ever since the city had been found- 
 ed by Portuguese immigrants. The family originally 
 came from Spain, but the founder of this house had 
 entered Portuguese service as a general, and later pur- 
 chased extensive property near Santa Catharina, and 
 gradually the family had become very wealthy. But now 
 it had died out with the exception of one member. This 
 was Don Xaverio Valdes, who, himself well advanced 
 in years, lived all alone in his magnificent palace. He 
 had not always lived thus. He had been most happily 
 married, but a fatal fever had taken away his wife. 
 This misfortune threw him into deep despondency for 
 a long time. Only after years his spirits began to revive 
 somewhat, but he continued to withdraw himself from 
 the world and its pleasure, and lived along quietly. He 
 considered it his chief business in life, to use the wealth 
 which God had given him, to relieve suffering and woe. 
 All slaves on his extensive plantations had long since
 
 52 
 
 been given their freedom, in spite of the bitter protest 
 of the defenders of slavery. They had prophesied 
 the loss of all his wealth, but that did not keep the man 
 from carrying out his noble and holy purpose. The re- 
 sult proved those inhuman slave holders to be liars. 
 The negroes of his plantations whom he had freed, and 
 for whom he provided careful moral and religious in- 
 struction, stood ready to lay down their lives for him 
 at any time. And even when, besides having given them 
 full freedom, he gave to each one a parcel of ground 
 from whose products they could support themselves, 
 they continued to work for him as laborers, and dis- 
 charged their duty more faithfully than the slaves, who 
 had felt the knotted whip of the overseer under his 
 predecessors. 
 
 His large, palatial residence, in which he lived his 
 quiet, good life, attended by a few trustworthy servants, 
 lay on the Alameda, the shady driveway of the city. 
 Large gardens, in which plants, bushes, and trees from 
 all parts of the world flourished, lay around the build- 
 ings, and the property was surrounded by a high brick 
 wall. 
 
 Don Xaverio was seldom seen excepting at 
 Church, where he never failed to publicly worship his 
 Lord. He had few friends with whom he associated ; 
 but where wretchedness and woe was found, his old 
 negro attendant Ulpio, who was more friend than ser- 
 vant, used to appear with refreshments and assistance, 
 and wherever there was sickness among the poor, the 
 physician came, sent by Don Xaverio. 
 
 He had once met Captain Cordela, who was known 
 as a slave dealer, and he had said to him : "If ever you 
 come across a talented negro boy, keep him for me. I 
 promise beforehand to pay you whatever you shall ask." 
 This was a man according to the captain's liking, and 
 since he had observed the little negro slave in whom
 
 53 
 
 Antonio had become so much interested, and seen his 
 aptness, and the remarkable ease with which he acquir- 
 ed a knowledge of the Portuguese language, it had be- 
 come a settled matter with him to sell the boy to Don 
 Xaverio Valdes. He hoped to get enough for him to 
 make up for the loss of several of the other negroes, as 
 he frankly acknowledged to Antonio, and it was this 
 circumstance that suggested to Antonio the plan, which 
 he determined to carry out in spite of the danger con- 
 nected with his going ashore contrary to the law. 
 
 Antonio was most anxious to see Don Xaverio 
 Valdes, in whom he reposed great hopes, although he 
 did not know exactly how to present his plan. Twice 
 he had stood at the gate of Don Xaverio's palace on the 
 morning -after his landing, and each time his courage 
 had failed him. He felt that it was a decisive step he 
 was about to take, and the happiness of his future life 
 depended upon its success. 
 
 At last, it was near noon, and the sun poured its 
 burning rays down upon the parched earth, he. ap- 
 proached the gate for the third time. This time he 
 entered and requested an interview with Don Xaverio. 
 
 The negro Ulpio thinking him some poor un- 
 fortunate seeking assistance, quickly led him to his 
 master. 
 
 Don Xaverio was a venerable gentleman with such 
 a kind manner, and such an encouraging smile upon his 
 lips, that Antonio felt his heart grow much lighter. 
 
 "What can I do for you?" asked Don Xaverio 
 kindly. 
 
 Antonio began to twirl his sailor's cap so that it 
 revolved faster and faster between his nervous fingers, 
 but he did not seem to find the words with which to 
 begin. At last he said: 
 
 "Are you the gentleman who ordered Don Cor-
 
 1 nu-an the captain, that is confound it! the 
 
 slave dealer, to sell you a child ?" 
 
 "It was my intention to have such a child educated 
 and brought up a Christian," Don Xaverio replied with 
 some embarassment. "To have one stolen, no ! God 
 forbid ! I wished to save one." 
 
 "I thought so," replied Antonio. "You are a good 
 man, and would not bring blood upon your soul." 
 
 "Be seated/' continued Don Xaverio. "Tell me 
 how do you know all this, and what brings you to me ?" 
 
 Antonio's courage rose, and he opened his heart. 
 He told him his fortunes up to the time of his taking 
 service with Cordela on the slave ship. The tone of 
 his voice betrayed the sorrow of his heart, and he made 
 a deep impression upon Don Xaverio. 
 
 Then Antonio described his experiences in Africa, 
 and on board the slave ship. The loathing which filled 
 his soul and his deep anger were plainly reflected in his 
 voice and words. He frequently interrupted his nar- 
 rative by animated expresions of his feelings. Thus, 
 jumping from his seat, he once cried: "No, sir, I would 
 rather beg bread in the streets of my native town, than 
 receive double pay upon another such a voyage, as the 
 captain promised. It is nothing but man-stealing and 
 murder !" 
 
 Don Xaxerio began to be more and more impressed 
 with the honest character of the sailor, who spoke so 
 frankly and freely, and opened his heart so artlessly. 
 
 Finally he came to speak about the boy. Here the 
 truth of the Scriptures was beautifully shown : "Out 
 of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaketh. "His 
 praise of the boy showed his deep love for him. He 
 told of all his plans and attempts to stay with the child, 
 all of which proved futile, and at last he cried out : 
 "Sir, if I can not see the boy every day, I will die !" 
 And as he spoke large tears ran down his weather-
 
 beaten face. As he impatiently brushed them away he 
 grumbled : ''Foolish eyes ! They always give me water, 
 when I have to look toward the light!" 
 
 Don Valdes smiled, and yet it cost him an effort 
 to control his own feelings, as he saw how the man 
 struggled to overcome his emotion, and endeavored to 
 persuade himself that his tears were caused by the sharp 
 light, although they were caused by the deep feeling 
 of his heart. Don Xaverio saw through his plan clear- 
 ly, and had already come to a decision as to what he 
 would do. 
 
 "And you believe," he began again, "that Cordela 
 will sell him to me?" 
 
 "Certainly, without a doubt," was Antonio's an- 
 swer. "But he stopped in evident embarrassment. 
 
 "Why do you hesitate? Speak," Don Xaverio en- 
 couraged him. 
 
 "Well," continued Antonio, "it would be a great 
 relief to me, and I would thank God, if he came into 
 your hands ; but what would become of me ?" 
 
 "Why?" asked Don Xaverio. 
 
 "If you are not stark blind," continued Antonio, 
 "you must have seen, that a separation from the boy 
 would break my heart." 
 
 "But if you remain here, you can see him every 
 day," said Don Xaverio. 
 
 "Of course," Antonio broke in ; "but a man can not 
 live on wind and hope. A church mouse is a millionaire 
 compared to me." 
 
 "But what is to be done?" asked Don Xaverio. 
 
 "Ah, kind sir," said Antonio, "do not torture me. 
 You know what I wish, and yet have not the courage 
 to ask." 
 
 Thereupon Don Xaverio gave him his hand and
 
 56 
 
 said : "Yes, I know. You wish me to take you into 
 my service together with the boy." 
 
 "Ah," cried Antonio, "if you know that so well, 
 let me tell you something more : I do not ask for wages. 
 Give me bread, the necessary clothing, and a corner to 
 sleep in ; only let me be near the boy, to whom I am at- 
 tached with my whole soul. I will work until the per- 
 spiration runs from my forehead, as long as I can move 
 a finger. You shall not have a more faithful servant, 
 only have pity upon me, buy the boy, and let me be 
 near him." 
 
 "Your wish is granted," said Don Xaverio deeply 
 moved. 
 
 Antonio reeled and had to support himself. Then 
 he folded his hands and prayed silently. And then he 
 cried out joyfully: "May God reward you for the kind- 
 ness you have shown me." 
 
 Then he arose and prepared to go. 
 
 "You may remain here, Antonio," said Don Xave- 
 rio. "The captain is not yet out of quarantine. You 
 can live here. I will immediately assign you your du- 
 ties. The superintendent of my gardens has just died, 
 and you shall have his place. I will give you a salary 
 which shall be satisfactory. But perhaps you have some 
 other business to transact?" 
 
 "I will frankly tell you what brought me to shore," 
 said Antonio. "In the first place it was the matter you 
 have granted me, and in the second place a commission 
 from the captain. I will come back and stay here until 
 I can return to the ship. In the meantime, I would ad- 
 vise you to purchase the boy through me while he is 
 still on board. Such a soul seller knows nothing about 
 keeping a promise. He might take a notion to sell him 
 to some one else." 
 
 "That will arrange itself," said Don Xaverio smil-
 
 57 
 
 ing, and Antonio went his way, his face beaming with 
 satisfaction. 
 
 Although many had gone out from that house with 
 a happy heart, very few were ever so happy as Antonio. 
 Now all his anxiety about being separated from the boy 
 was taken from him. His own future also had become 
 bright, and the fear that he would some time have to 
 share the lot of so many an old sailor compelled to 
 beg for bread when unable to work, was removed. In 
 a most happy mood he wandered about the city and 
 learned, that the rumors which the captain had caused 
 to be spread, were everywhere received with credit. 
 
 When he had made shre of this, he prepared to re- 
 turn on board. But the purchase of the boy still 
 troubled him. However, Don Xaverio relieved him of 
 this care by giving him a personal letter to the captain, 
 which was perfectly satisfactory. Moreover the report 
 which Antonio brought put the captain in good humor, 
 and aroused in him again the desire to secure for him- 
 self the services of the sailor. Antonio, who mistrusted 
 him and feared to arouse his anger, did not exactly re- 
 fuse, but he would not consent either. Moreover he 
 was very careful not to let him know what offer Don 
 Xaverio had made him. The captain granted him time 
 to think the matter over until he had disembarked his 
 cargo. 
 
 The health officers came on board again after ten 
 days. They found no new cases, and since the presents 
 of the captain fully convinced them that all was well on 
 board, they ordered the yellow flag to be lowered to 
 the great satisfaction of the crew, and the ship entered 
 the harbor. The ship had hardly cast her anchor, be- 
 fore an agent from Don Xaverio appeared on board to 
 take the boy. But as gentle as the child had been until 
 now, so violent he became when they wished to remove 
 him. He would not leave without Antonio. The cap-
 
 58 
 
 tain himself had to request the sailor to pack up his few 
 things and go with him and remain with him a few days 
 until he should have grown accustomed to his new 
 master. He paid him his wages and invited him to come 
 aboard as often as he could. 
 
 Antonio left the ship just as numerous slave deal- 
 ers, who could not await the sale, came on board, a 
 sure sign how well the lying reports which the captain 
 had caused to be spread, had done their work. 
 
 At first the boy was very shy. He would approach 
 no one. Only Don Xaverio's mild manner won his 
 heart. He would not for a moment go away from An- 
 tonio, just as if he were afraid, that Antonio would 
 leave him. He assisted him in his work in the garden, 
 where Don Xaverio had assigned Antonio to work, and 
 explained to him just how he wished everything to be 
 done. Xaverio permitted this, because it was his de- 
 sire that the boy should become thoroughly accustomed 
 to his surroundings, before he had him educated. But 
 Antonio soon made him willing, and instruction in re- 
 ligion and in other branches of learning began in 
 earnest after a few days. Don Xaverio, who had fre- 
 quently tried the same experiment in vain, was amazed 
 at the rapidity with which the boy grasped the instruc- 
 tion offered him. He made remarkable advances, not 
 only in his studies, but also in his behaviour. He be- 
 came more gentle, willing, obedient, and refined from 
 day to day. Antonio contributed a good bit toward the 
 attainment of this result. During his unemployed 
 hours he was with the boy continually, and held a re- 
 lation over against him like that of an affectionate 
 father toward his son. At the end of a year of such 
 instruction, the boy received the holy sacrament of 
 Baptism in the cathedral of Santa Catharina, the name 
 of Simon being given him. 
 
 The effect which his baptism had upon him was very
 
 59 
 
 deep. He became even more quiet and earnest, and 
 devoutly followed the teachings of his religion. It was 
 touching to hear how earnestly he prayed for the souls 
 of his parents day by day. He became even more gentle 
 and tender than before, and ever eager to serve in any 
 way, and more faithful in his work with Antonio, whose 
 love and care he appreciated more and more. 
 
 There was no doubt about Don Xaverio's intention 
 to grant him his freedom. The touching gratitude of 
 the boy toward his aged benefactor, moved him to 
 bestow the greater care upon his education. This tender 
 gratitude never changed in spite of the peculiar whims 
 which the old gentleman sometimes had, and about 
 which Antonio would now and then complain. 
 
 Some years thus passed in peace and happiness. 
 Simon was the favorite of the whole household, parti- 
 cularly of the old freedman, the negro Ulpio, and An- 
 tonio. He grew very fast, and became remarkably 
 strong, active, and animated. His knowledge was ex- 
 ceptional. Being a good penman, he kept Don Xave- 
 rio's books, and was treated as though he were his own 
 son. Under these circumstances no one seemed to 
 think that Simon was still a slave, the property of Don 
 Xaverio. The old gentleman had begun to take his 
 comfort, and put off from day to day giving him his 
 freedom in a legal manner. Only Ulpio never lost sight 
 of this important matter, and frequently reminded Don 
 Xaverio of it, until one day, without the knowledge of 
 Simon and Antonio, he wrote the letter and placed it in 
 his desk. 
 
 Again several years passed, and the matter was not 
 again touched upon. Ulpio was contented because he 
 knew that the letter of manumission had been written. 
 During this time ;L heavier blow fell upon Simon than 
 any he had experienced, since the death of his parents. 
 Then he was but a little child, and could not appreciate
 
 60 
 
 the greatness of his loss. But now faithful Antonio fell 
 ill, and he did not recover. The hardships which the- 
 sailor had endured, prematurely aged him, and during 
 the last years of his life, he had suffered a great deal 
 from rheumatism. The wages Don Xaverio had given 
 him, he never used, and now left the sum, though not 
 large, to Simon. Ulpio saw to it that the money was 
 safely invested. 
 
 Simon cared for his paternal friend most tenderly. 
 He never left his bedside day or night, and when An- 
 tonio would speak of his approaching end, Simon would 
 weep bitterly. But in spite of all care on the part of 
 Simon and of the physician, the old sailor succumbed 
 to his sickness, and breathed out his soul in Simon's 
 arms. 
 
 This was an overwhelming loss to the young man, 
 who was inconsolable. He lost all pleasure in his sur- 
 roundings, and for a time Don Xaverio actually feared 
 for his life. He attended strictly to his duty, but no smile 
 appeared upon his face, and he shunned all society, 
 even that of Ulpio and Don Xaverio. He scarcely ate 
 enough to keep body and soul together, wasted away, 
 and sank into a state of melancholy. It was only after 
 the worthy clergyman who had baptized him, had 
 earnestly spoken to him, that he began to show some 
 improvement. But while he took somewhat more in- 
 terest in his surroundings, his earnest and serious man- 
 ner remained the same. But this misfortune was not 
 to be the only one he was to suffer. 
 
 Don Xaverio was nearly eighty years old, an aged 
 man with snowy, white hair, and bent with years. His 
 strength, which a most carefully regulated life, had long 
 sustained, now began to fail visibly. One morning Ul- 
 pio found him lying dead upon his couch, his hands 
 folded, and his glassy eye turned heavenward. He had 
 died while in prayer.
 
 61 
 
 If the death of Don Xaverio was esteemed a great 
 loss by all the citizens of the city, it was felt the more 
 keenly by those who had been associated with him. 
 Santa Catharina was in mourning, and only now it 
 was learned how the man had used his great wealth to 
 ease suffering and want. There were now published 
 deeds of kindness, over which, upon his urgent request, 
 the mantle of secrecy had rested. His name was upon 
 everybody's lips and his loss was mourned by all, but 
 chiefly by the poor and needy. 
 
 His palace was in truth become a house of mourn- 
 ing, and no one mourned more sincerely than Ulpio 
 and Simon. 
 
 "What shall become of me now?" Simon mourned 
 one day as he sat together with Ulpio. 
 
 "You can earn your bread easily, for Don Xaverio 
 has had you well educated/' said Ulpio. "The wise and 
 intelligent need not starve." 
 
 "But am I free?" sighed Simon. 
 
 "Do not worry," answered Ulpio. "I have seen 
 your letter of manumission. It is in the desk with Don 
 Xaverio's testament." 
 
 This put Simon somewhat at ease. But everything 
 lay under seal, because Don Xaverio's sole heir, who 
 lived in Rio grande do Sul, was hourly expected. 
 
 CHAPTER VII. 
 
 The noble Don Xaverio had been laid to rest al- 
 most a week, when his heir, Don Carlos Valdes, a dis- 
 tant, very wealthy relative arrived. He was no Xave- 
 rio. He showed himself at once to be a proud and 
 harsh man. He treated Ulpio, and Simon, and the few 
 servants like slaves and demanded of Simon the mean-
 
 62 
 
 cst services. Ulpio showed his letter of manumission 
 and declared, although most respectfully, that he would 
 leave the house at once, and that Simon would accom- 
 pany him, since he also was a freedman. Don Carlos 
 could not hinder Ulpio, but Simon could not show his 
 letter of manumission. In vain did Ulpio insist that he 
 had been freed, in vain was his assurance that the letter 
 lay with the testament, even describing the place where 
 it could be found. 
 
 Don Carlos drove him from the house, and because 
 Simon refused to perform the duties of a slave, he had 
 him bound by his own slaves who accompanied him, and 
 locked up in a cellar. 
 
 Ulpio hastened to the judge in order to secure the 
 release of the unfortunate man. The judge however, 
 bribed by Don Carlos, refused to interfere, because no 
 letter of manumission could be produced. In vain Ul- 
 pio assured him that the letter would be found with the 
 testament ; when the seal was broken neither the letter 
 of manumission, nor the testament were found. And 
 yet Ulpio had seen both with his own eyes. 
 
 There could be no doubt, in fact the whole populace 
 was convinced, that Don Xaverio had secured the 
 future of his favorite, and had liberally provided for all 
 his faithful servants; however, the testament could not 
 be found anywhere, and Simon was a slave. A dread- 
 ful future was before him, since Don Carlos hated him 
 bitterly. 
 
 Ulpio had saved up a small fortune for himself 
 during his years of service with Don Xaverio. The 
 faithful old man offered the highest price ever paid for 
 a slave, if Simon were set free; but Don Carlos was 
 his owner and refused to accept even such an enticing 
 offer. Greed and the filthy love of money, which held 
 the mastery over Don Carlos, were not considered now,
 
 63 
 
 if only he could take his revenge upon the slave who 
 had refused to serve him. 
 
 How great his greed and love for money were, 
 showed itself in numberless instances. He sold the 
 beautiful residence, the gardens, the plantations around 
 Santa Catharina, the furniture and implements, and 
 even the papers which appeared worthless. A grocer 
 purchased these, to wrap up his wares. When every- 
 thing had been sold and Don Carlos left the city, Simon, 
 who looked like a skeleton, was taken to Rio grande do 
 Sul, where Don Carlos lived on his plantation. 
 
 Ulpio, who had taken rooms with a grocer from 
 whom he was accustomed to purchase his necessities, 
 tried everything to save Simon ; but all his efforts 
 proved unsuccessful. His enormous wealth was like a 
 wall of fire about Don Carlos, so that it seemed impos- 
 sible for any one to get at him, and mete out to him 
 deserved punishment for his crimes. Ulpio openly 
 charged Don Carlos with having removed the testa- 
 ment as well as Simon's letter of manumission, partly 
 for the purpose of making himself the sole heir to the 
 immense wealth of Don Xaverio, and partly to take 
 vengeance on Simon, who had refused him obedience, 
 and whose intelligence and varied knowledge filled him 
 with hatred. 
 
 No slave owner about Rio grande do Sul had such 
 an evil reputation as Don Carlos Valdes. As great as 
 was his wealth, so great was his miserliness and his 
 greed, and his passion for money was only equaled by 
 his harshness and his cruelty toward his slaves. He had 
 in his employ a slave keeper who had been a bandit and 
 robber in Mexico, and who had lost the last vestige of 
 feeling in the service of a man, who was most inhuman. 
 Only the iron hand of this keeper restrained the ne- 
 groes. More than once they threatened to rise like the 
 swollen waters of a stream flooding over the banks.
 
 64 
 
 Perhaps they were also restrained by another more 
 gentle person, who however, also suffered keenly under 
 the burden of Don Carlos' vile character. 
 
 As if the Lord had intended to counterbalance the 
 merciless harshness of the man, He had placed at his 
 side an angel in human form, namely his wife, Donna 
 Elvira. She was as mild and gentle, as tender and 
 merciful, as any human soul could be. She repaired 
 many a wrong committed by her husband, healed 
 wounds which he had inflicted, and thus endeavored to 
 soften the curse which was gathering upon his head. 
 Her pious soul shrank from every wrong, from every 
 dishonest deed, and from every brutality, of which her 
 degenerate husband bragged even before her. 
 
 When he returned from Santa Catharina, he re- 
 joiced over the immense wealth, whkh was added to his 
 own by the will of his aged relative. 
 
 "It might have been fully one third more," he 
 cried, "if the old fool had not been in the habit of giving 
 whole handfuls of money to every vagabond, who came 
 along, and thus squandered much. Just think of his 
 foolishness, Elvira! He gave freedom to all his slaves 
 and thus reduced his possessions perhaps to one half. 
 What a capital was lost !" 
 
 "But was there not one slave whom you had bound 
 and brought here?" she asked. "Did he not liberate 
 him? What crime did he commit?" 
 
 Don Carlos did not answer this question until he 
 had given free vent to his anger over Don Xaverio's 
 foolishness, in having been the benefactor of suffering 
 humanity. 
 
 "Just think of it," he continued in his anger. "There 
 he goes and makes a will in which he sets aside rich 
 legacies for the churches of Santa Catharina. As if 
 these were not rich enough already! Then he gives a 
 fortune to an old negro named Ulpio, and an equal
 
 65 
 
 sum to a young negro whom he had educated, besides 
 giving him his freedom. Finally he gives large bequests 
 to his old servants so that they could have lived as 
 lords. In short, it was a crazy document, which ] 
 therefore threw into the fire and burned, so as not to 
 be the loser myself by the foolish notions of a childish 
 old man." 
 
 Donna Elvira shuddered. "You did that?' she 
 asked with such an expression of feeling, that the cri- 
 minal was much disturbed thereby. 
 
 "It was not actually I, who did it," he said un- 
 easily, for he became conscious of his depravity. "It 
 was the judge whom I, gave it for that purpose, and 
 whose trusty services I had secured beforehand with 
 
 gold." 
 
 Donna Elvira deeply moved, folded her hands and 
 looked up to heaven. Her husband did as if he did not 
 observe her. At any other time he would have grown 
 
 furious. 
 
 The suffering woman remained silent, because she 
 had everything to fear if the anger of this wretch were 
 aroused, for then he knew no bounds. 
 
 "But how could you bring Simon here as a slave, 
 if he was freed.?" she asked mournfully, scarcely able 
 to control her feelings. 
 
 "Because his letter of manumission lay with the 
 testament, and he did not have it in his hands, like old 
 Ulpio. Here I have it among these papers." 
 
 He drew forth a bundle of papers and began to 
 glance through them. But he became very much dis- 
 turbed during the search. Once more he glanced 
 through them the letter of manumission could not be 
 found. For some time he sat in deep thought. What 
 could have become of it? The missing document dis- 
 turbed him greatly. But after some thought he cried : 
 "He is in my power." Then he continued: "You ask, 
 
 Simon. 5
 
 what he did? He is a negro who refused to render me 
 his service as slave, because he has been completely 
 spoiled by a foolish old man, and has become puffed up 
 and selfwilled in his pride." He gnashed his teeth at 
 the very memory. "But I will tame him yet ! I have put 
 him under Pablo's charge, he knows how to make 
 stubborn dogs docile. I think I will go out and see 
 what has happened." 
 
 He went out. 
 
 Donna Elvira was as pale as a corpse. The utter 
 degeneration of her husband had moved her deeply. 
 Weeping aloud she hastened to her own apartments. 
 There she sank down upon her knees and poured out 
 her heart in earnest prayer. 
 
 It was a long time before she grew calm enough to 
 think connectedly. Then she wrote a long letter to a 
 relative, who was a priest in Santa Catharina. Under 
 the seal of confession she confided to him all her hus- 
 band had told her. She also placed at his disposal a 
 large sum of money with which to obtain possession 
 of the stolen testament from the corrupt judge, if it 
 were not too late. She urged him finally, to institute 
 a careful search for Simon's letter of manumission, 
 which might possibly be found. 
 
 When Don Carlos entered the vestibule he found 
 awaiting him there a man dressed in the airy, light 
 colored garments, which the intense heat of that cli- 
 mate made necessary. In his hand he held a sombrero, 
 or broadbrimmed straw hat, while from his belt there 
 dangled a lash, somewhat like the one called "cat-o'- 
 nine-tails" on board the ship. In stature he was short 
 and thick set, and his face bore an unmistakable expres- 
 sion of treachery and villainy. As Don Carlos stepped 
 out of his door he bowed almost to the ground. 
 
 "Pablo," cried Don Carlos, "how is it with the 
 slave?"
 
 67 
 
 "I have given him a reminder which he will keep 
 as long- as he lives," said the overseer with a cruel 
 laugh. 
 
 "And how did he take it?" asked Carlos. 
 
 "Patiently and quietly," was the reply. 
 
 "Bah \" said Don Carlos. "I would rather the 
 lashing had made him raving mad." 
 
 "I did what I could, but did not succeed in drawing 
 from him so much as a murmur," answered the over- 
 seer. "He now lies in his hut senseless and bleeding. 
 If he were to die, sir " 
 
 "You but did your duty. It would not matter." 
 "Certainly!" said the overseer; but it has aroused 
 
 bad blood among the negroes." 
 
 "What?" yelled Don Carlos. "The dogs dare to 
 
 bark ?" 
 
 "Not that exactly," replied Pablo, "but I would not 
 dare to do that sort of thing before their eyes again." 
 
 "You?" asked Don Carlos. "Must I then use the 
 lash?" 
 
 Pablo bowed and shrugged his shoulders. "Four 
 hundred negroes and about thirty whites Sir, we will 
 have to be more careful." 
 
 Don Carlos grew pale at these words. He was 
 just as cowardly as he was cruel. He recognized the 
 danger. "Let him heal before you use the lash on him 
 again. Will he be able to work to-morrow?" 
 
 "Not for a week." 
 
 "Then you struck him good indeed. Well, let us 
 wait our chance. He will not fail to afford you an oc- 
 casion. If he dies, well, then there is one less of them, 
 and he didn't cost me anything!" With this he dis- 
 missed the overseer. 
 
 Donna Elvira, whose apartments also had a door 
 leading to this vestibule, must have overheard this con-
 
 68 
 
 versation, for when her husband had retired to rest. ;i 
 female slave hurried below to find out the hut of the 
 poor unfortunate, and when the darkness of the night 
 fell and quiet reigned over the plantation, two female 
 figures stealthily left the palatial residence and proceed- 
 ed towards the 'huts of the slaves, one of them bearing 
 a basket. 
 
 When they drew near to Simon's hut, they ob- 
 served light burning within, and through cracks they 
 saw negroes and negresses busied about the un- 
 fortunate man. They washed out his wounds, removed 
 parts of flesh which hung loose, and adjusted bandages. 
 They whispered among themselves and above their 
 whis'pering was heard the groaning of the sufferer. 
 "He lives," whispered Elvira, and both entered. 
 As the door opened, the negroes who were doing 
 Samaritan duty, were seized with terror, for they feared 
 that it might be the justly dreaded Pablo. But when 
 they beheld their mistress, they stretched out their 
 hands toward her, and from all .sides was heard the 
 greeting "Massa, buona massa," and the expression of 
 fear on their faces, gave way to an expression of grate- 
 ful love. She brought a healing balsam, such as is 
 made in Peru, rags, bandages, and refreshments for 
 poor Simon. Then she directed the bandaging of his 
 lacerated back, had stimulants administered, and a soft 
 couch prepared. She left only after all had been done 
 as she directed, and the benedictions of all followed her. 
 The overseer, of course, found out everything, but 
 he neither dared to interfere, nor to inform his cruel 
 master. Besides he saw in what Donna Elvira did, a 
 means to allay the fury of the negroes directed against 
 him and the master. He was glad of this, because he 
 saw a storm brewing in consequence of the cruel treat- 
 ment, which threatened death and destruction to all 
 whites He knew perfectly well that Don Carlos, who
 
 69 
 
 was busy with his newly acquired wealth, would not 
 trouble himself in the least about the negro, and, just 
 as he gave out that in the mericiless lashing of Simon 
 he had but fulfilled the command of his master, so now 
 he took a share in the secret work of love and mercy 
 done by Donna Elvira. The sly scoundrel did this be- 
 cause, foreseeing evil to come, he wished to turn the 
 storm away from his own contemptible person. 
 
 Simon's youthful and sturdy constitution success- 
 fully overcame the fearful pains of his barbarous abuse, 
 under which a less powerful constitution must inevitably 
 have succumbed. He bore his sufferings with wonder- 
 ful patience, and was hiost thankful toward the com- 
 passionate negroes for their kindness, which they show- 
 ed him under great danger to themselves. He was grate- 
 ful especially for the tender care of his mistress, who 
 came to him every night, and whose sympathy for him 
 increased, the more she learned of his exceptional cul- 
 ture, and his sincere Christian spirit. 
 
 Quite a number of days passed before Simon had 
 so far recovered from his wounds as to be able to get 
 up and move about. 
 
 Pablo out of consideration for Donna Elvira, spar- 
 ed him until he had entirely recovered, but then he had 
 to go to work on the plantation like all the rest, and 
 when his strength gave out, because he was not ac- 
 customed to such hard labor, the lash was laid upon 
 him, and Pablo cursed him even more than the others, 
 especially if he discovered Don Carlos anywhere in the 
 neighborhood. Don Carlos himself allowed no oppor- 
 tunity to pass without humiliating him, and tortured 
 him with studied cruelty. The negroes however, held 
 Simon in greatest honor and bowed beneath his 
 superior intelligence. But just for this reason every 
 insult offered him, every punishment and abuse inflicted 
 upon him, excited them in a most serious manner. The
 
 70 
 
 secret of the negroes did. not long remain hidden from 
 the shrewd Pablo. Their hatred grew from day to day 
 under their harsh treatment. They naturally looked to 
 Simon, whom they had chosen as their leader, when 
 their determination to be avenged had ripened. 
 
 At length a meeting was arranged and Simon was 
 invited to be present. It was to be held at night. Not 
 one of the negroes suspected that Pablo, the tricky 
 Mexican, had full knowledge of their doings, and that by 
 creeping close to them with the stealthiness of a cat, he 
 had heard them make their plans. 
 
 He revealed everything to his master, who was 
 thoroughly frightened. However, Pablo succeeded in 
 persuading him to become a witness of the meeting by 
 giving him the assurance that his hiding-place would 
 not be discovered. 
 
 The fiercest and most embittered negroes had met. 
 Simon also was among them. He calmly listened to 
 all they had to present, to the story of their wrongs by 
 which they had been inflamed to a madness as blood- 
 thirsty as that of the tiger, a madness which would be 
 satisfied only with the blood of their tormentors. When 
 they had finished Simon arose and with all the superiori- 
 ty, which his education and his noble character gave 
 him, he spoke to them. 
 
 He most earnestly advised against all violence. It 
 is true, he spared those who were responsible for their 
 unendurable sufferings, just as little as the other ne- 
 groes. On the other hand he refused to accept the 
 proffered leadership, and would have nothing to do with 
 the whole movement. Besides he reminded them of 
 the consequences, for the master would certainly ap- 
 peal to the government for aid. 
 
 The negroes were dissatisfied with Simon, and re- 
 fused to give up their plan. They also determined to
 
 71 
 
 carry it out at the earliest possible time. Then the 
 meeting dispersed. 
 
 Don Carlos had gazed into an abyss in which he 
 must be destroyed, perhaps to-day, perhaps to-mor- 
 row. Fear on the one side and uncontrollable rage on 
 the other, unsettled him so, that he could formulate no 
 plan of action. And thus it came that he put himself 
 under the influence of Pablo by seeking his advice. The 
 Mexican was very nervous himself, because the negroes 
 had mentioned his name with the same bitterness as 
 that of his employer. He advised Don Carlos to send 
 for troops from Rio grande do Sul, to have every one 
 of the ringleaders, whose meeting they had spied upon, 
 seized and given over to exemplary punishment, be- 
 cause he could trust them no longer anyway. 
 
 Without arousing suspicion Don Carlos acted upon 
 this suggestion. To him, coward that he was, this 
 seemed the only way in which he could save his life, at 
 the same time it gave him a chance to get revenge be- 
 cause of the things which he had heard said about 
 himself. 
 
 One day sixty soldiers unexpectedly appeared on 
 the plantation. Mortal terror fell upon the negroes, 
 when fifteen of their number were taken prisoners, 
 locked in chains, and taken to Rio grande do Sul. After 
 this they completely subjected themselves under the 
 heavy joke which was put upon them. 
 
 Among those fifteen was Simon, even though he 
 had offered only good advice. Don Carlos only regret- 
 ted that now he would be either shot or hung, and that 
 he would therefore not have the chance of seeing him 
 lashed to death before his eyes. But he could not deny 
 himself the satisfaction of remaining in Rio grande do 
 Sul until the sentence should have been executed. 
 
 This affair caused intense excitement. As usual, 
 men took sides, one party declaring itself against Don
 
 72 
 
 Carlos most forcibly. Whole Rio grande do Sul, indeed 
 the whole province was aroused. All slave-owners re- 
 cognized the inestimable importance of the verdict to 
 be rendered by the hastily convened court, for their 
 safety, their very existence depended upon it. When 
 this fact was considered, and when the natural unfriend- 
 liness of the whites toward the blacks was taken into 
 account, there could be no doubt whatever about the 
 verdict. It would be unfavorable to the blacks. 
 
 Don Carlos saw this turn of affairs with great 
 satisfaction. There was not the least doubt in his mind 
 but that his immense wealth, secretly applied by the 
 wily Pablo, would convince the judges of his perfect 
 innocence. Only two of these were upright men, not to 
 be bribed, who laid great weight upon the testimony of 
 Simon, whose intelligence and refinement deeply im- 
 pressed them. They were not at all inclined to believe 
 that Don Carlos Valdes was so perfectly blameless. 
 
 CHAPTER VIII. 
 
 But before the court in Rio grande do Sul came 
 to a decision, indeed, even before the witnesses had 
 testified in the matter, circumstances occured in Santa 
 ,Catharina, which lay so utterly beyond the sphere of 
 human calculation, as to clearly prove the influence of 
 a supreme will upon the affairs of men. 
 
 It has already been related how old, faithful Ulpio 
 had taken a room with a groceryman, where he spent 
 the days of his age in peace and quiet, and without 
 suffering any want. The old negro, who had nothing 
 to do and stood in the very best relation to the grocery- 
 man, who was also an old man and loved to talk, used
 
 73 
 
 to spend the whole day sitting in the little grocery 
 smoking, and chatting with the proprietor, or his cus- 
 tomers. Sometimes he would put up in bags the gro- 
 ceries which had been purchased, or wrap them in 
 paper which he took from a large basket in which a 
 great quantity of it had been packed. 
 
 One day while he was again thus engaged in pas- 
 sing his time with his slight service for his friend, a 
 paper fell into his hands which was carefully folded. 
 He opened it and found a seal attached to it. He had 
 never in his life learned to read, but he at once re- 
 cognized the seal as that which he had seen hundreds 
 of times in the house bf Don Xaverio Valdes, the old 
 man being in the habit of placing it upon all letters of 
 importance. 
 
 "'How did you come by this paper?" he asked the 
 groceryman. "This is the seal of my never-to-be-for- 
 gotten master, Don Xaverio Valdes." 
 
 "Are you surprised at that, old man?" laughingly 
 said the groceryman. "Then I will tell you that all the 
 papers in that basket have come from the house of that 
 excellent man. His greedy heir whom you also learned 
 to know as such, wishing to derive profit out of every- 
 thing, sold me four such baskets full of paper for ten 
 milreis, and I thus cheaply purchased wrapping paper 
 enough for years to come." 
 
 "The love of money is truly the root of all evil," 
 said Ulpio. 
 
 "Surely," replied the groceryman, as he took the 
 paper from Ulpio's hands to glance at its contents, 
 while the negro absentmindedly took another piece of 
 paper from the basket to fold into a bag. 
 
 Ulpio had made about a half a dozen bags before his 
 friend, who was no great reader himself, having put on 
 his glasses, had studied out the document. 
 
 "Strange !" he cried. "This is a correct, formal,
 
 74 
 
 and perfectly legal letter of manumission, which Don 
 Xaverio Valdes issued to one of his negroes." 
 
 Ulpio leaped to his feet with an alacrity none would 
 have expected in a man of his age, and seizing the arm 
 of the groceryman, excitedly asked: "What- is the name 
 of the negro?" 
 
 "Well, well/' remarked the groceryman half angri- 
 ly, "the matter is not so urgent that you have to tear 
 and squeeze a fellow black and blue! A person would 
 suppose you were crazy ! Simon is the name !" 
 
 Ulpio gave a cry which frightened the groceryman 
 and convinced him that the poor old negro had sudden- 
 ly gone mad. But when he turned to Ulpio he saw him 
 lying on his knees, his hands folded, and praying. 
 
 The groceryman shook his head. ''He isn't crazy," 
 he said half aloud, "crazy people do not pray, but I 
 cannot understand how the thing is." 
 
 When Ulpio's excitement had somewhat subsided, 
 and he reminded the old man of the negro, who had 
 been with Don Xaverio, and related to him all the 
 circumstances connected with the disappearance of the 
 testament and letter of manumission as he knew them 
 and believed them, a light began to dawn upon the 
 groceryman, and he began to understand the things, 
 which had so excited Ulpio that he had actually begun 
 to question his sanity. 
 
 The sense of right and justice, which the holy and 
 just God has implanted in the conscience of every man, 
 revolted at the thought of the wrong which had been 
 committed, and the groceryman at once became the 
 ally and adviser of the inexperienced negro. They dis- 
 cussed the matter from all sides without coming to any 
 definite conclusion, because neither of them had even 
 the slightest confidence in the judge. 
 
 "Do you know what we'll do?" the groceryman 
 asked and then answered himself, as plain people are
 
 to 
 
 wont to do, whose questions seem to be addressed to 
 another why really directed to themselves, "do you 
 know what we'll do? We'll immediately go to Don 
 Vincente, the pastor of the cathedral Santa Maria, he 
 is a very smart man and most kind and friendly. He 
 will give us advice." 
 
 Ulpio agreed with him, and after the groceryman 
 had given his store into the charge of his wife, they 
 set out. 
 
 Don Vincente Mollenghe chanced to be the re- 
 lative of Donna Elvira, the wife of Don Carlos Valdes, 
 to whom, in the unrest of her soul, she had written a 
 letter concerning the theft of the testament by Don 
 Carlos. 
 
 Don Vincente despised Don Carlos with all his 
 heart, because he knew how the brutal wretch had em- 
 bittered the life of his noble wife. It is true, he had 
 not yet known him as a cheat and a thief, as this letter 
 charged him to be. But he could not doubt the revela- 
 tions of the noble lady, and was thinking of a plan to 
 follow with the unscrupulous judge. 
 
 Vincente was not a friend of much circumlocution. 
 The velvet catspaw, which takes hold of things delicate- 
 ly, slyly, and trickily, was detested by him, his nature 
 being rather quick, and such tricks but slowly and 
 through devious ways lead to the goal. "The straight 
 road is the best," he used to say to himself, "and if I 
 but firmly seize the nail with my tongs, it will have to 
 come out, no matter how deeply it is driven into the 
 wood." 
 
 And so he went straight to the judge, and proceed- 
 ed directly to his private office, making use of a privi- 
 lege accorded alone to the priest. The judge was much 
 disturbed at his appearance, because, as the Bible says, 
 the godless never have peace, and an evil conscience 
 always expects the worst.
 
 76 
 
 "What do you want of me, a poor sinner?" he 
 asked. 
 
 "I am glad to find you in such a penitent mood," 
 said the priest with great earnestness, ''for what I seek 
 requires just such a spirit." 
 
 The judge grew pale, for he knew that Don Vin- 
 cente was one of those who do not come to a matter 
 from a long round about way, but drove directly at the 
 centre of the thing. 
 
 "What I asked in pardonable jest, you take serious- 
 ly," said he. 
 
 "One does not jest with holy things," answered 
 Don Vincente, "and I should think that you would 
 know pretty well how matters stand with your consci- 
 ence. Rut of that, later on. You are aware that I am 
 a relative of Don Carlos Valdes, and the confessor of 
 his wife, my niece?" 
 
 The judge nodded, but his heart beat almost 
 audibly. 
 
 "You committed the dastardly deed in conjunction 
 with Don Carlos, of stealing the will of Don Xaverio 
 Valdes, and you know that this would cost you your 
 office, your honor, and perhaps your life, if anyone be- 
 sides me found it out. Don Carlos has confessed. You 
 still have the will. Give it to me at once, if you do not 
 wish to be summoned before the bar of justice. If you 
 do this and promise sincere repentance, I will not re- 
 veal the secret, which would deliver you and Don Car- 
 los over to well deserved punishment. I know well what 
 I owe the honor of my family." 
 
 These words, spoken in a tone, which plainly 
 showed that they would brook no resistance and denial, 
 made a deep impression upon the judge. 
 
 He fell upon his knees, and folding his hands, 
 raised them to Don Vincente. "Mercy, mercy !" he 
 cried.
 
 77 
 
 "It shall be shown you," said the priest, "if you 
 have not burned the will. But if it is burned, let justice 
 take its awful course, and then may two criminals suffer 
 their welldeserved punishment." 
 
 While Vincente thus sharply addressed himself to 
 the judge, he leaped to his feet as if bitten by a serpent. 
 He hastened to a closed cabinet and opening it, pulled 
 out a secret drawer, and with a sigh of relief he said : 
 "Here it is!" as he handed a document to Father Vin- 
 cente. 
 
 Vincente quickly glanced through the document in 
 order to convince himself that it was the genuine, un- 
 altered will. He saw from the handwriting and the seal 
 that this was the case, but he also learned that Don 
 Carlos Valdes had been completely disinherited. The 
 contemptible wretch had told Donna Elvira nothing of 
 this, because he would thereby have given proof that 
 Don Xaverio also, was perfectly aware of his low and 
 vile disposition. 
 
 Don Vincente placed it in his pocket. 
 
 ''This is not all," he then continued. "Where is the 
 letter of manumission which you stole, and by which 
 Simon was given his freedom? You must have that 
 also." 
 
 "You are mistaken, reverend sir/' cried the judge. 
 "It lay with the testament, it is true, but Don Carlos 
 was afraid to burn the testament of the deceased and 
 gave it to me for this purpose, but the letter of 
 manumission he threw into a basket in which there 
 were other letters and papers, which he intended to 
 burn. Whether he did it or not, I cannot say, but I do 
 not doubt it." 
 
 "You read it?" 
 
 "Yes." 
 
 "Very well, then you are a witness. But beware
 
 78 
 
 that you do not depart one jot from the truth, else 
 You understand me." 
 
 \\ ith this the priest took up his hat and went out 
 without giving any further attention to the poor wretch 
 whom he left behind in great unrest of conscience. 
 
 When Don Vincente arrived at his home, he found 
 awaiting him a messenger, whom Donna Elvira had 
 sent to him in all haste. In her letter she related the 
 recent occurences and the imprisonment of Simon, who 
 had advised against the uprising of the slaves, but 
 nevertheless was accused by Don Carlos as having 
 taken part in the conspiracy, because he had spoken ill 
 of him. "Unfortunately," wrote Donna Elvira, "what 
 vSimon said was true." She requested Don Vincente to 
 hasten his investigations, as Simon's letter of manumis- 
 sion would most likely also be found with the judge. 
 
 The priest clearly saw that matters were quickly 
 coming to a head, but that he must personally go to 
 Rio grande do Sul, as quickly as possible. In order to 
 prevent the worst he would have to lay the will before 
 the court, in which a considerable legacy was set aside 
 for "the freedman Simon." This was a proof that Si- 
 mon was free, and the testimony of the judge would 
 corroborate the statement. And then let the sword of 
 justice, which hung over Don Carlos, fall upon his 
 guilty head. 
 
 Don Vincente summoned his servant and ordered 
 his carriage, giving command to place four mules be- 
 fore it, and then made his preparations for the journey 
 to Rio grande do Sul. A few moments later he was in- 
 formed that a white man and a negro requested to 
 see him on most urgent business. 
 
 As unwelcome as this interruption was, because it 
 prevented him from getting off on his hasty journey, 
 he yet knew the duties of his holy office too well, to re-
 
 79 
 
 fuse these men a hearing. They were admited. The 
 two proved to be the groceryman and Ulpio. 
 
 It was the groceryman's way to make a very long 
 story, but Don Vincente cut him short by asking him 
 such pointed questions, that the old man was compelled 
 to stick to the facts. And so he told of Simon's letter 
 of manumission, which Ulpio had found, and placed it 
 in the hand of the astonished priest. 
 
 "Lord, how wonderful are Thy ways, and Thy 
 judgements past finding out!" he cried, as he held in 
 his hand the letter of manumission, whose genuineness 
 no man could question. 
 
 He promised the two to use the letter in the man- 
 ner demanded by justice, and then entered his carriage, 
 and quickly drove away. 
 
 The journey was completed in the shortest possible 
 time, and the priest arrived just as the court was sitting 
 and taking tesimony. He was admitted and faced Don 
 Carlos, Pablo, and the crowd of accused slaves. 
 
 Don Carlos grew pale, as he saw the priest enter. 
 His conscience troubled him, and his fear grew so great 
 that he began to tremble, and had to support himself by 
 holding to the rail. 
 
 The president of the court, a man of strict prin- 
 ciples, asked the priest whether he had revelations to 
 make, which had bearing upon the case. 
 
 "Assuredly," answered .the priest, "although they 
 refer only to the negro Simon, whom this man (he 
 pointed to Don Carlos) unjustly treats as a slave. He 
 was given his freedom by Don Xaverio Valdes and is 
 one of his heirs. I know how brutally Don Carlos has 
 treated him, and the court will see that justice is done 
 him for this. In this matter he again suffers innocent- 
 ly. Don Carlos treated his slaves so cruelly that an up- 
 rising was planned. Simon pacified the slaves, and for
 
 80 
 
 this, this freedman, who has IHVII illegally held as a 
 slave, is here accused." 
 
 The judges looked at one another, and then all eyes 
 were turned toward Don Carlos against whom a servant 
 of the Church and near relative, directed such severe 
 charges. He was crushed, yet he recovered himself 
 sufficiently to reply to the question of the judge, 
 whether he had anything to reply to these charges, and 
 with a voice trembling with emotion he cried : "It is a 
 lie, that Simon is free. He has no letter of manumis- 
 sion. It is a lie, that he is an heir, for there was no 
 testament of my deceased relative to be found." 
 
 "The letter of manumission lay with the will of 
 Don Xaverio Valdes," replied the priest. "Don Carlos 
 stole both documents. I accuse him of it in this court. 
 He was careless enough to throw the letter of manu- 
 mission into a paper basket, whose contents, in his 
 well-known filthy greed, he sold to a grocer for a few 
 milreis. There it was found and I herewith place the 
 original document in the hands of the court. Don Car- 
 los will not dare to question the genuineness of the 
 original. Should he nevertheless do so, I am prepared 
 to complete the proof." 
 
 The president of the court took the document and 
 unfolded it. 
 
 "It needs no further proof/' he said. "I knew Don 
 Xaverio intimately. It is his handwriting/' 
 
 "Officers," he called, "remove the fetters from the 
 freedman Simon !" 
 
 The court officers hastened to obey the command. 
 
 "This," the priest began again, "is sufficient to dis- 
 prove the charge of lying against me. I reserve the right 
 to take further steps in the matter of the insult offered 
 me. As to the second charge that it is false that Simon 
 is a joint heir, I herewith offer the original will and 
 testament of Don Xaverio Valdes, which Don Carlos
 
 81 
 
 also stole, but was too cowardly to burn. It was in- 
 trusted to my care under the seal of confession, and I 
 now request the court to prove its genuineness/' 
 
 He handed it to the president. 
 
 This was too much for the wretch. A heavy fall 
 directed all eyes towards Don Carlos. He had fallen 
 full length, and Pablo, and Simon, who had been the 
 first to hasten to him, were busy with him. 
 
 Upon order of the president of the court, a phy- 
 sician was summoned, and the proceedings were 
 stopped until his arrival, v All surrounded Don Carlos, 
 while Simon with great care endeavored to resuscitate 
 him. 
 
 The features of Don Carlos in spite of all efforts, 
 became more and more like those of a dead man. When 
 the physician arrived he cast one glance upon the pro- 
 strate form and said: "It is too late. He is dead." 
 
 Still he did his duty, and with Simon's assistance 
 he bled him, but in vain. Death had removed the cri- 
 minal beyond the reach of earthly justice, but had 
 placed him before his eternal judge. 
 
 "God have mercy upon his soul/' said the priest. 
 "The trial is now closed. In the name of my relative, 
 Donna Elvira Valdes, I request the court to dismiss 
 the charges, and release the prisoners, who, henceforth 
 serving a gentle mistress, will no longer entertain the 
 thought of conspiracy." 
 
 The prisoners broke out in cries of joy and blessed 
 the priest and their beloved mistress. 
 
 "There will be no need at all to consider the ad- 
 visability of bringing any influence to bear upon Donna 
 Elvira to carry out the provisions of the testament," 
 said the priest, "since she is the cause of its finding 
 and recovery. She does not countenance wrong and 
 will hold no property obtained in a wrong manner. Yet, 
 
 Simon. 6
 
 I would request tin- court to ki-cp the original will and 
 send me a copy to the plantation of Donna Elvira, 
 where I am now going with Simon. I herewith solemnly 
 pledge myself to carefully watch over the prompt and 
 complete carrying out of its provisions." 
 
 Simon cheerfully agreed, and after the corpse had 
 been removed, the session of the court adjourned. Si- 
 mon entered the carriage with the priest and on the way 
 learned how his letter of manumission had been found 
 by Ulpio and the groceryman, and with tears streaming 
 down his face, praised gratefully the wonderful ways 
 of the Lord. 
 
 Excepting the negroes who cast upon him glances 
 full of rage and vengeance, no man had troubled him- 
 self about the overseer Pablo. He was completely un- 
 done by the blow which had fallen upon his master. He 
 did not dare to leave until the court officers told him 
 that he had ho further business in court. Then he slunk 
 away, but begged an officer to show him another way 
 out, as he was afraid to leave by the door through which 
 the negroes had left. The officers fulfilled his wish, and 
 he disappeared in the narrow streets of the city, and 
 no man saw in which direction he turned. He did not 
 again appear upon the plantation, and it was well for 
 him that he did not, for the hatred of the negroes, on 
 account of the inhuman treatment they had received at 
 his hands, would have endangered his life. No one 
 ever found out what had become of him. Very likely 
 he returned to Mexico and again became a highway- 
 man. But the arm of Him who judges aright, is not 
 shortened, and He will surely have found him and 
 given him his dues.
 
 83 
 
 CHAPTER IX. 
 
 We pass over the next few years. Donna Elvira 
 ruled over her plantation in such mildness, that the 
 negroes who had planned murder, because they had 
 been treated worse than beasts, never again had cause 
 for complaint, and were devoted to their mistress with 
 heart and soul. 
 
 The provisions of the will of Don Xaverio were all 
 promptly carried out. Simon and Ulpio were both re- 
 membered so liberally, that they could live without 
 care, and even had something to spare. The judge re- 
 signed his office and removed to a distant state in order 
 to hide his shame, which became public because every- 
 one knew that only he and Don Carlos had anything to 
 do with Don Xaverio's effects. 
 
 For some time Simon lived on the plantation of 
 Donna Elvira, because she had urged him to remain 
 and enjoy something of the good things of life, where 
 he had suffered so much pain and sorrow. His wis- 
 dom and experience were of great service to Donna 
 Elvira in the introduction of certain reforms. Her ul- 
 timate purpose was to give freedom to all her slaves. 
 He was not in favor of giving them their freedom at 
 once, but by the concession of larger privileges, to 
 gradually fit them for the proper use of liberty and in- 
 dependence, Donna Elvira and the venerable priest fully 
 agreed with him, and Donna Elvira secured the carry- 
 ing out of her plans in a legal manner, so that, in case 
 it should please God to call her away, her heirs could 
 in no wise interfere. She had such a terrible example 
 offered her in the ruthless acts of Don Carlos, that she 
 removed every hindrance to the execution of her gene-
 
 84 
 
 rous ideas, as far as it was possible for a human being 
 so to do. 
 
 It is very likely that Simon would never have left 
 her (for where could he be more happy than among 
 those who honored, and loved him, and opened for him 
 a larger sphere of activity?) had not his noble heart 
 compelled him to go to Santa Catharina. 
 
 Ulpio, the noble soul, had grown very old and 
 feeble. The old man bore his sufferings with a perfect 
 submission to the divine will. But he had no one in 
 the wide world to whom he was bound by affection, ex- 
 cept Simon, whom he loved as a son. An unspeakable 
 longing for him filled his heart, and so Simon left his 
 happy surroundings and went to him, in order to make 
 the last days of the old man as bright as possible. Ul- 
 pio had bought himself a small, comfortable home, 
 located on the Alameda, near the place where he had 
 spent so many years with his deceased master. Here 
 Simon joined him. 
 
 They lived together like father and son, and used 
 whatever could be spared of their income, to purchase 
 the freedom of such negroes who bore a good report, 
 and gave assistance to the needy wherever and when- 
 ever they could. They both thought that in this they 
 were acting in the spirit of their noble benefactor, and 
 were putting to a good use what his liberality had given 
 them. 
 
 For a number of years Ulpio was permitted to en- 
 joy the faithful attention and love of Simon, who de- 
 voted himself entirely to the old man, whose days were 
 numbered. Although they were honored and respected 
 by the whole city, yet they had very little intercourse. 
 The only one who often came to them, who had no 
 prejudice whatever, such as is almost always found with 
 the whites against the blacks, was the venerable priest, 
 who had secured Simon's freedom. He best understood
 
 these two noble souls. In former years the honest 
 
 groceryman used to come around every evening, but 
 
 death had long since called him away, and it was at 
 
 that time, so sad for Ulpio, that Simon had come to him. 
 
 Even though the strong constitution of the old 
 
 negro, long resisted the weight of age and its weakness, 
 
 yet at last it began to succumb. The lamp began to 
 
 burn low. He did not deceive himself with respect to 
 
 his condition, and with true Christian submission 
 
 awaited the hour when he should be called to the glory 
 
 and joy of his Lord. vHe frequently said to Simon: 
 
 "Although I am pained at the thought of separating 
 
 from you, yet I constantly recall the words of our Lord, 
 
 which the venerable priest gave me as comfort : "Yet 
 
 a little and we shall see each other again, and then no 
 
 man can take our joy from us. And besides, I feel as if 
 
 Don Xaverio were awaiting us up there with the Lord." 
 
 Faithful Simon would not leave him day or night, 
 
 and at last when the spirit had left the body, he closed 
 
 the eyes, whose last gaze seemed to search the depths 
 
 of heaven. 
 
 Ulpio had left everything he possessed to Simon, 
 whereby he became indeed a wealthy man, but he only 
 found pleasure in his wealth in so far as it placed him 
 in a position to do more good. His life was now become 
 very lonely. Upon the urgent request of Donna Elvira, 
 he sold his house, and again took up his residence on 
 the plantation, where he had the satisfaction of seeing 
 the fruits of his wise suggestions beautifully ripening, 
 and where he was revered by all negroes, as much as 
 their mistress. He spent some years in these happy 
 surroundings, when another heavy blow fell upon him, 
 which he saw slowly but surely coming, namely the 
 death of Donna Elvira. 
 
 Sufferings, which had been caused by the ex- 
 periences of her earlier life, and which she had been com-
 
 86 
 
 pelled to keep to herself in order not to increase their 
 measure, had sown the seeds of an illness, which was 
 now slowly, but only too steadily developing. She only 
 desired to live long enough to see all the negroes of 
 her plantation freed, and living on the parcels of ground 
 she had set aside for them, and which were large enough 
 that their products secured them a comfortable living, 
 if they were at all industrious. And it was granted her 
 to see it. She had no children and her relatives had no 
 need of her wealth. For this reason she had divided 
 the. whole plantation into smaller parcels, and given 
 these to her former slaves. They now lived upon free 
 property as free beings, and with their families blessed 
 their generous mistress. 
 
 Her death was a heavy sorrow for these happy be- 
 ings, who had to thank her for their happiness. They 
 mourned sincerely, as when children mourn a mother, 
 who has been taken from them. 
 
 For Simon this place had now become like a de- 
 serted house, even though the negroes loved him dearly, 
 for well they knew what they owed him. She was mis- 
 sing, whose spirit had reigned here, and whom he had 
 loved and respected as she well deserved. He left the 
 plantation toward the close of the year 1852, all the 
 negroes, whose moral elevation had been so largely his 
 work, bidding him a tearful farewell. 
 
 He had not definitely decided where to take up his 
 permanent residence in order to spend there the days 
 which God should still give him, but when he thought 
 at all about the matter, Santa Catharina ever had the 
 preference because of its memories of Antonio, Don 
 Xaverio, and Ulpio, and especially because the worthy 
 priest still lived there, to whom he was so much in- 
 debted. Simon was about forty years of age when he 
 planned going by sea from Rio grande do Sul to Rio
 
 87 
 
 de Janeiro, where he had never been. From there he 
 intended to return to Santa Catharina. 
 
 But here also the truth of the old proverb was 
 shown : "Man proposes, but God disposes." 
 
 His affairs were always kept in order, as had been 
 his rule ever since he had assisted Don Xaverio in the 
 regulation of his affairs. Even his will had been care- 
 fully drawn, in order that his charitable intentions 
 would surely be carried out. And so there was nothing 
 to prevent him from entering upon his journey, the first 
 trip for pleasure and v recreation he had ever allowed 
 himself. 
 
 A steamer, which made regular trips to the capital, 
 was just about to sail. The negro went aboard, but 
 knowing well the prejudice of Americans against his 
 race, he quietly seated himself where he would not be 
 conspicuous nor give anyone cause for offense. He 
 took a book from his pocket and began to read, now 
 and then glancing up at the beautiful scenery along the 
 shore. 
 
 The "Pernambucano," as the vessel was called, was 
 a coastwise steamer, and upon this trip had an especially 
 large number of passengers, mostly women and chil- 
 dren. The weather had been beautiful in the morning, 
 but soon a dark cloud in the western skies, so small as 
 to be unnoticed by most of the passengers, began to 
 give serious concern to those familiar with such signs. 
 Xothing can compare with the fury of suddenly arising 
 hurricanes. And such a storm it was that broke upon 
 the vessel with inconceivable speed and power, but a 
 few minutes after the eye had first observed the cloud. 
 
 The "Pernambucano" was a well built vessel and 
 manned by an excellent crew. They tried to gain 
 deeper water, but the storm, seeming to come from all 
 points of the compass at once, ever drove them toward
 
 88 
 
 the steep and rocky shore with the enormous waves 
 which rolled landward. 
 
 The breakers near the rocky shore were awful, 
 while immense waves were being hurled against the 
 rock by the fury of the storm. Even though it was 
 noon, it grew as dark as at the time of twilight. The 
 fearful gusts of wind threw great bales of merchandise 
 overboard like paper balls. Several passengers also 
 were swept overboard and drowned. 
 
 In spite of the most powerful struggles, the "Per- 
 nambucano" was slowly but irrestibly swept towards 
 the roaring, foaming breakers. Finally one mighty 
 blast of the hurricane lifted the vessel as if it had been 
 a nutshell, and hurled it puon the rocky ledge where it 
 hung, while the water flooded into the ship through a 
 large hole which had been made, so quickly, that the 
 passengers who had sought shelter in their cabins, had 
 scarcely time to escape to the deck. 
 
 Those who could swim cast themselves into the 
 sea, but when these unfortunates reached the shore, the 
 natives fell upon them and robbed them of everything, 
 leaving them scarcely the most necessary clothing. Yet 
 every one sought to save his life, for the waves were 
 beating against the wreck with a sound like thunder, so 
 that it became evident that it could not long withstand. 
 It must soon go to pieces. What a prospect for those 
 who could not swim ! 
 
 The terror of the women and children was fright- 
 ful to behold. Besides the crew there were only a few 
 men left on board. And what could be done? The space 
 between the ship and the shore was so small, and the 
 fury of the breakers so great, that they could not think 
 for a moment of lowering the boats, and yet it was far 
 too wide to be leaped over. 
 
 Up to this time Simon seemed to look upon all this 
 with perfect composure. But in his heart he despised
 
 89 
 
 the selfishness of the white men who sprang into the sea 
 to save themselves by swimming, without giving a 
 thought to the weeping women and children, already 
 half dead through fright, whom they heartlessly left to 
 their fate. With clear judgment he viewed the condi- 
 tion of things, then, unobserved by anyone, he folded 
 his hands and prayed: "Help us, O Lord our God; for 
 we rest on Thee." 
 
 After this he seized a rope, and exerting all his 
 strength he threw it to the shore, where the natives 
 caught it and made i^ fast to a strong tree standing 
 near the edge of the raging sea. And now the time was 
 come to give full satisfaction to his noble heart. 
 
 On board there was a lady with seven hopeful 
 children. The children had made themselves acquainted 
 with Simon, and his friendly manner had won their con- 
 fidence. He told them pretty fables and soon had them 
 all gathered about him. Who does not know that he 
 who wins the heart of the child also wins the heart of 
 the mother? She was a lady of distinction, the wife of 
 one of the richest merchants of Rio de Janeiro. 
 
 As the danger increased, the mother began to 
 worry for the safety of her children, and when the dis- 
 aster occured, she piteously moaned: "Who will save 
 my children and me?" 
 
 Simon now approached. "Donna," said he, "if God 
 will grant us grace, I will save both you and your chil- 
 dren. But you must do absolutely what you" are told, 
 and pray that the Lord may bless me." 
 
 "Come here!" he called to the sailors, who cheer- 
 fully hastened to him. "Ropes!" he cried, "quick, 
 bring ropes !" 
 
 They were brought. 
 
 'Now tie four of these children to my body, but tie 
 them firmly, so they can not slip off." 
 
 This was done as quickly as possible, and then
 
 90 
 
 seizing die rope he swung clear oi the vessel, and pas- 
 sing one hand over the other, gained the shore in a few 
 minutes, and the children were saved. The mother 
 meanwhile lay upon her knees on the deck, and prayed 
 for protection and help for Simon. Quicker than he had 
 crossed over, the negro regained the vessel. The three 
 remaining children and one of another mother were 
 tied to him, and he safely brought them to land. Now 
 came the mother's turn. She was also tied to Simon s 
 body and he safely brought her over. 
 
 The exertion was terrible, but no one assisted him, 
 no one followed his example. In vain he appealed to 
 the crew to help him. They gave him some refresh- 
 ments and after he had bound up his hands so that they 
 should not hurt so much, having taken a brief rest, he 
 again returned to the work. He took the children first 
 of all ; but in crossing for the seventh time in his weary- 
 ing work of rescue, the rope broke in two and together 
 with his burden he fell into the sea. But admiration of 
 his heroic courage had filled even the rude natives. 
 They hastened to his assistance, and brought him and 
 his precious burden safely to shore. 
 
 But what was to be done? Over there they were 
 stretching out their arms toward him in piteous ap- 
 peal, and his heart beat with happiness over the suc- 
 cessful efforts he had made. Without much delay he- 
 sprang into the sea. The sailors slackened the rope on 
 the ship and he succeeded in tieing the ends together. 
 
 God's grace was with him. The ship withstood 
 the severe blows of the surf much longer than he had 
 expected or could have hoped for. The hand of God 
 was visibly over him. In a few hours he succeeded in 
 rescuing all the women and children. But his strength 
 was almost completely exhausted and his hands were 
 bleeding. There remained on board the wreck a blind 
 man and an invalid with a wooden leg. They stood there
 
 91 
 
 with folded hands, trembling with fear. No man 
 seemed to think of these two unfortunates. As soon 
 as Simon had somewhat recovered from his super- 
 human efforts, he saw them and quickly coming to a 
 decision as to his duty, he again made the trip over the 
 rope. First he rescued the old blind man and then with 
 his last strength, the invalid. But as he reached the 
 shore, he fell lifeless to the ground. 
 
 But now gratitude had its turn. The women, 
 whom he had rescued, the men, who had witnessed a 
 rare deed of Christian heroism, vied with each other 
 to show him attention. The mother of the seven chil- 
 dren bedded his head in her lap, and as she bathed his 
 face, and tried to pour reviving stimulants into his 
 mouth, the tears streamed from her eyes and fell upon 
 his face. Others knelt about him helping, sobbing, 
 praying. They bandaged his swollen and bleeding 
 hands and arms. They did everything possible at the 
 time and under the circumstances. 
 
 vSixty person* had been rescued by Simon. Many 
 had succeeded in reaching the shore by swimming, 
 while thirty, who had leaped into the sea, were drowned. 
 
 The hurricane continued until midnight with 
 gradually abating fury, and then ceased. The rising 
 sun of the following morning, shone upon a sea only 
 slightly disturbed. Upon all points of elevation the 
 captain and crew had built signal fires, in the hope that 
 some vessel sailing by, would take off the shipwrecked 
 band, who had to spend a miserable night on the in- 
 hospitable shore, without cover or sufficient clothing. 
 While Santa Catharina was the nearest port and not 
 very far distant, yet it was too far away to expect any 
 help from there, and the unfortunates had to endure 
 hunger and cold until taken off. The example of noble 
 Don Xaverio Valdes did not seem to find any imitators 
 there.
 
 92 
 
 Simon at last awoke out of his deep swoon, but 
 suffered intensely. Whatever was possible was done to 
 alleviate his pains, but they had a very limited success. 
 The fever caused by the wounds in his hands, shook him 
 severely. The muscles were actually laid bare. He 
 talked incoherently and they beg-an to fear that he 
 would succumb to his sufferings. The longing after a 
 rescuing vessel increased under the general sympathy 
 with the noble negro, whose condition every one en- 
 deavored to ease. 
 
 At last, on the afternoon of that day, they saw the. 
 steamer from Rio de Janeiro for Rio grande do Sul 
 approaching. The captain saw the signals of distress 
 and turned his vessel toward the shore, where he cast 
 anchor in a safe place, and sent a boat to ascertain the 
 condition of things. 
 
 Scarcely had the boat returned with its report of 
 the disaster, when every boat on the steamer was 
 lowered. Great was the joy filling all hearts as the 
 boats landed. But no one would enter until Simon had 
 been carried in, the men and women making a soft 
 couch for him with spare articles of clothing. He was 
 most carefully taken on board, and accompanied by the 
 captain of the "Pernambucano" and the wife of the 
 merchant of Rio de Janeiro, laid in a soft berth. For- 
 tunately there was a doctor from Rio de Janeiro on 
 board, who applied proper bandages and gave him 
 medicines. Under his care the sufferer soon revived 
 so as to be able to thank for all the tender attentions 
 showered upon him. His heroic deed being related to 
 the passengers on board, they also joined in caring 
 for him. 
 
 After all the rescued had been taken aboard, the 
 anchor was drawn up, and the vessel changing her 
 course, proceeded to Rio de Janeiro.
 
 93 
 
 CHAPTER X. 
 
 With lightning speed the news was spread through- 
 out Rio de Janeiro, that the "Pernambucano" had been 
 wrecked and gone down. All who had relatives on 
 board the ill-fated ship hastened to the harbor and on 
 board the vessel bringing them. Some were filled with 
 bitter sorrow and others with the greatest joy. With 
 weeping eyes they, who became convinced that their 
 dear ones had been lost, left the ship. Full of unspeak- 
 able joy they, who found their dear ones safe, accom- 
 panied them home. The whole city was gathered at the 
 harbor. From mouth to mouth went the story of the 
 heroism of the negro, whose noble deeds were loudly 
 praised. Everybody was anxious to see him. The 
 physician wished to remove him to the hospital, but 
 the wealthy merchant, whose wife and seven children 
 he had saved, would not permit it. 
 
 "My house is the place where the noble rescuer of 
 my family and so many others shall be cared for," he 
 declared positively. He had a stretcher brought and 
 commanded to carry him to his residence. The people 
 who accompanied him did not cease in their demon- 
 strations, in order to show him their regard, and con- 
 tinued to loudly praise his deed. The physician also 
 went along because he feared that the excitement 
 caused by the demonstration of the people might have 
 a bad effect upon Simon's condition. 
 
 But this proved an unnecessary care. Simon was 
 indeed pleased with this recognition of his deed, but 
 it had no evil effect upon him. The tender affection 
 showered upon him in the home of his host was in- 
 describable. But he received all with great humility. 
 
 In every home of the city men were speaking of
 
 94 
 
 the noble negro, and they who had been saved by him 
 kept visiting him, and not only they came to him, but 
 the most distinguished citizens called to see him. His 
 remarkable deed had wiped out the prejudices, which 
 the color of the skin ordinarily creates. 
 
 When the merchant, who was entertaining the res- 
 cuer of his family, went to the exchange next day, he 
 found great excitement there. All crowded around 
 him in their eagerness to hear an authentic account of 
 the happenings from his lips. He cheerfully told them 
 the story as he had heard it from the lips of his wife. 
 The greatest enthusiasm was aroused. A subscription 
 for Simon was at once opened, which in a few minutes 
 reached the sum of six thousand dollars. They further 
 determined that the best known sculptor was to make a 
 bust of Simon, to be placed in the building of the ex- 
 change. No one seemed to think of doing any business. 
 
 A committee accompanied the merchant to Simon's 
 bedside and communicated these things to him. Simon 
 was greatly surprised, in fact he was so overcome that 
 the tears streamed from his eyes. For a long time he 
 was unable to speak. At length he expressed his pro- 
 foundest thanks to the gentlemen, at the same time 
 however, telling them that he was rich enough for his 
 station. He asked that the money which they intended 
 to give him in their kindness, which he highly appre- 
 ciated, be used for some charitable purpose, for he 
 could not accept it. They urged him, but it was of no 
 avail. He refused firmly to accept the money, because 
 he did not need it. He begged them most earnestly 
 also not have the marble bust made. Although the 
 wealthy merchants did not urge him any further to ac- 
 cept the money, yet they positively declared that they 
 would carry out the plan of having a marble bust of 
 him made, and placing it in the building of the ex-
 
 95 
 
 change. This was a small proof of their gratefulness 
 and he could not refuse them this gratification. 
 
 While this delegation of distinguished members of 
 the exchange were still assembled about Simon's bed, 
 a servant hastily entered, and in breatheless excitement 
 cried : "The emperor and empress !" 
 
 Simon was really frightened at the news. The 
 merchants arranged themselves along the walls of the 
 apartment, and a few minutes later the merchant and his 
 wife ushered in the emperor and empress. They ap- 
 proached the bed and addressed most gracious words 
 of thanks and highesUappreciation to the negro, whose 
 eyes filled with tears, and whose quivering lips were un- 
 able to speak a single word. Finally the emperor said : 
 
 "How much I desire to reward as far as possible, 
 such Christian nobility of soul, I wish to show by an 
 outward sign." With this he drew forth a large, golden 
 medal, attached to a heavy golden chain, and hung it 
 around Simon's neck. "Never did one more worthy 
 wear such a mark of honor!" the emperor said. "Wear 
 it upon your breast as a mark of the esteem and grate- 
 fulness of your emperor/' 
 
 "Long live the emperor and empress !" those 
 present enthusiastically cried, and down on the street 
 the thousands took up the cry. 
 
 Under tender care and skilful treatment, Simon 
 soon recovered. He had become the favorite of all 
 classes. Wherever he appeared he was greeted with 
 every mark of highest regard. 
 
 Upon the earnest request of the merchant and 
 many friends, Simon at last made up his mind to take 
 up his permanent residence in Rio de Janeiro. He was 
 forty years old in 1853, and as was his custom in Santa 
 Catharina, he spent the greater part of his fortune in 
 charity, thereby gaining ever greater regard. His bust 
 will be found in the great hall of the exchange building.
 
 96 
 
 It is the first bust of a negro made by the chisel of a 
 sculptor, to which such a place of honor was assigned. 
 And now I lay aside my pen with the assurance, 
 that I have faithfully followed my source. I close with 
 the words used by the speaker, when Simon's bust was 
 unveiled : "Not the color of his skin, not the place of 
 his birth, not station nor descent, can raise or lower a 
 man in the opinion of his fellowmen ! It is the heart, 
 the character, which gives true worth to a man. Long 
 live Simon, the negro! Honor, to whom honor is due!"
 
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